


COURAGE: A Battle Within

by RandomMel85



Category: TMNT - Fandom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Military, Angst, Drama, Hermaphrodites, M/M, Military AU (by Seigaku-san), Mystery, Turtlecest, handheld weapons, tcest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-25
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-09-02 01:08:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8645290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomMel85/pseuds/RandomMel85
Summary: The Cerebrum Lacerta terrorize the land, it's up to the guys to defend the innocent and bring peace to the dessert. What adventures and relationships will come about in between....? Dive in and see....AU, story idea and OCs all belong to @Seigaku-san . Stay tuned for character sheets to follow on their page!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Seigaku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seigaku/gifts), [Seigaku-san](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Seigaku-san).



His skin was drenched in sweat as he gasped for air. The night was cold, enveloping his lonely form in his cot. He had learned to not scream anymore in his sleep. It wasn't fitting for a soldier of his caliber to have nightmares that would cause him to scream. Not him, not anymore. Raphael has worked too hard to keep his place in the Unit. Claiming the second in command position had come with many risks and tribulations, all of which he had conquered, some of them which had been closed calls... 

Raph looked at his watch, it was almost zero-four-hundred hours, time in which the bell would ring to signal the start of their day. They were traveling to a new base this morning... Rumors had been going around about the second in command that resided there. They said he was also a turtle as Raph. They said he was very skilled, for he was as silent as he was deadly. Every time he heard people whisper about him, Raph's stomach would knot up in anticipation; he was eager to see this turtle and test first hand what he was all about. 

"Ya up yet, shell-brain?" 

Raph grinned as he turned to look at the cot next to him. There laid his best friend, Casey Jones, who was NOT a morning person at all. "Rise and shine, beautiful." Raph turned and sat as he stretched the muscles in his tensed shoulders. 

Casey sat up lazily as his mouth opened wide to let out the biggest and loudest yawn in history. "Rise and shine my ass... Where tha fuck is the sun!?" 

Raph stood up and saw the other members of the special unit had started to rise. They were elite fighters after all, their biological clocks already set to be up and ready before the morning bell rang. The large, muscular turtle proceeded to get dressed in his uniform. "Don't be the last one out, Case. Don't wanna get on Commander Trax's bad side again."

"Dude has a good side? Would've never guessed!" They both chuckled lightly. 

 

Minutes later, Raph was walking out the tent's entrance towards his Commander's office tent. As expected, the lights were already on. Commander Traximus was not one known for slacking. Raph stood outside the entrance, about to announce his presence, when a deep rumbling voice spoke from within. "Enter, Raphael." 

"Commander..." Raph saluted the behemoth reptile standing in front of him. Traximus was a triceratops-humanoid, and a large one indeed. His triple horns adding to his height as he stood erect over a laid out map on a small table. 

"Have the men eat their breakfast hurriedly. I wish to arrive an hour ahead of schedule." Traximus was a being of honor, something which Raph admired profoundly. He was always on time, and always polite, even when he distributed scoldings amongst his men. Sometimes it was up to Raph as second in command to take on the responsibility of chewing out the guys when needed. He was always happy to be of assistance, off course. 

Raph saluted again and head back to delegate the news to the men. They started to chow down big bites of potatoes and bread to fill up for the trek to come. 

Casey sat next to Raph, his gaze scrutinizing. "What? Do I got something in my teeth?" Raph asked, a little annoyed. He knew that look in his friend's eyes. 

"Ya had another one?" 

"Another what?" Raph filled his mouth with steamed potato slices. 

"Ya know what... One of them nightmares ya still have." Casey bit off a large piece of bread, he chewed twice before talking again with his mouth full. "About the village. Ya gotta talk about 'em, bro. It ain't healthy ta try an' deal with 'em on yer own."

Raph's eyes flicked sideways to glare at his friend before going back to his plate. 

Casey turned his body towards him. Merciless as he was when trying to pry things from his friend's heart. 

Raph rolled his eyes and pushed his tray away from him, then turned his body as well. "Look, Case. I appreciate the concern, but I already told ya I don't like talkin' about this. What's done is done, life moves on. End of story."

Casey chewed on his food slowly, his eyes searching his friend's trying to find a loophole to dive in... Only he didn't find it. Raph's defenses where always set high and tight. With a humph, he turned back to his tray and continued to empty it. Raph shook his head as he stood up, cleaned his things and headed to get ready for departure. Casey's gaze followed his form, a sad look in his dark eyes. He knew deep down his friend was still suffering, was still tormented by the painful events that took his people in that faithful day when those creatures destroyed everything he once loved.


	2. Chapter 2

"Commander, orders?" Raph stood ready in front of Traximus, the rest of the unit behind him. 

"We continue on foot. Recent enemy activity has been spotted along the main trail, so we will derail our path into the desert. It will save us time for arrival. I expect to reach our destination before twelve-hundred today. Understood!?" 

"Yes, sir!" The troop answered in unison. It would be a rough trek but they were all looking forward to put this odyssey behind them and receive a hot meal and decent shower. 

Everyone fell into their march pace. Raph kept close to Trax. "Eyes open, Raphael. We are in Lacerta territory." Trax spoke in a low deep voice. He knew those words would stir Raphael's stomach. 

Cerebrum Lacertas, or Skull Lizards, where horrible monstrous creatures that the turtle despised more than anything in the world. They were the protagonist of all his nightmares; it was a hoard of them that murdered his family many years ago. Where they came from was a mystery that plagued them all. These large reptiles had once been peaceful herbivores that shared the land with all the small villages, but they had turned into agile, blood thirsty predators, killing sometimes for mere sport, leaving a trail of devastation wherever they passed trough. Their thick, blue skin was impenetrable to most weaponry. An almost diamond-strong exoskull covered their craneal surface. No one could quite explain how these massive cow-like creatures were able to move at tremendous speeds and attack in organized patterns. 

Raphael hated them to his core. He looked back at Casey, words weren't needed for his friend to know what was going on. Casey's frown was tense... he opened his mouth to try and give Raph some reassuring words, but he was interrupted by a low screeching voice that send a chill down his spine. "Hey, Jones! I heard your woman is stationed at the main base..."

"Not now, Lag..." Casey growled at the cadet walking behind him, a thin lizard-humanoid called Lagdora.

Lag cackled and slapped the back of Casey's shoulder. "This mean ya gonna be getting some, Jones?"

"Let it go, Case." Raphael warned him in a hushed voice.

"Heard you got yourself a nice red-headed broad..." Lagdora continued his teasing. 

"That's it!" Casey turned to face the scaly reptile. "One more word about my April and I will pound that cheesy grin off yer mug!" Casey threw a punch at Lag who dodged it almost effortlessly as he stuck his tongue out in mockery. Casey growled, the other soldiers started to giggle around the two, knowing Lagdora had a pretty tasteless sense of humor and enjoyed teasing others to the point of instigating fights. Casey was an easy target, and even though Raph was very hot-tempered, he was rarely bothered by Lag's mischief. Some would say he sometimes even enjoyed it. 

"I said can it, ya muscle-head!" Raph stepped in between the two, the dragon-lizard standing behind him as he flicked his tongue between his fingers, again mocking Casey and his girlfriend. "You too, Lag! I know you guys are tired, but if we don't keep pace we won't make the deadline and stay stuck in this god forsaken desert one more miserable night. So either both of ya can it, or I'll make ya limp the rest of the way ta base!" Raphael's rumbling voice was as strong as Traximus', and everyone in their unit knew better than to push him further. As much of a jokester as Lagdora was, he respected his superior very much, and his admiration for the turtle was such that he would follow him to hell and back. 

"Sorry, boss. I was just bored, is all... I'll behave from now on." Lag gave Raph a small bow of his head, Raph nodded lightly, then turned to Casey who was still baring his teeth, but he also bowed his head lightly, getting back in line.

Raph took a deep breath, and continued to march. 

"The men respect you greatly, Raphael." Traximus had not been oblivious to the small altercation, but he knew his second in command had it under control. 

"Bone-heads..." Raph mumbled. 

Traximus chuckled. "They all trust you with their lives... So as I. You have developed into a formidable soldier. Your father would be proud." 

Raph's golden-colored eyes widen for a quick second, a knot was felt in his throat. "Thank you, sir." 

They all continued to march at a steady speed. Once in a while, Raphael would send scouts up ahead to survey the area before proceeding. Once off the main trail, everyone grew wary. They were in Lacerta territory, and the smallest mistake could cost the whole unit their lives. 

Raph sent out three scouts ahead to comb the land. They proceeded with extreme caution, the terrain was dry and rocky. Stone formations rising from the ground stood about six to seven feet tall, forming caves between them in certain spots. Perfect area for anyone, or anything, to hide and stalk its prey.

He say went by and the group had gone out on their fifth surveillance run. The men where growing impatient as one by one they started to realize they where not coming back at their usual intervals. Something was wrong... "Sir," Raphael addressed Traximus. "The scouts..."

"Yes." Traximus raised one open hand over his head. The next thing that was heard were guns being cocked and laser canons powering up. Everyone waited anxiously for the last seconds to tick by in the stop watches assigned to the return of the scouts... once the timer hit zero with no sign of the swift men, they knew something had definitely gone wrong. Trax's hand was now closed in a fist, all the men's eyes on it, waiting for the signal. Suddenly, an eerie scream was heard from a few yards ahead. Trax's hand opened again and immediately pointed forward, signaling the first group of men to take position. 

Raphael clenched his teeth, his golden eyes darting around the surroundings in expectancy of where the first Lacerta would show up from. 

Another scream was heard, this time it was human, and disembodied. Traximus growled as his remaining hopes of having his scouts recovered alive left his heart. His hand went up with two fingers up, then immediately it was lowered back again. That was Raphael's squadron's signal to proceed. A quick glance at his superior was all he needed to wordlessly wish him luck. 

"Damn it, this is all we needed, fucking lizards when we're so close to reaching base." Casey was next to Raph. 

"Don't you worry, Jones. I'll make sure to watch that sweet ass of yours... And if you die I'll take it upon myself to console that red-head waiting for ya." Lagdora winked at Casey. He was also besides Raphael opposite to the human. 

Raph looked at both his comrades, the adrenaline running through his veins as they took position in the periphery. 

"Eleven o'clock!!!" Someone yelled. Raphael's cocked gun came up immediately aiming at the specified location. Night was upon them, but they could see clearly the inanimate object hit the floor next to them. Splattering blood as it made contact with the ground, there lied the body of one of their scouts. Complete silence fell upon the men, they were an elite unit, but they were not immune to fear. 

Suddenly a cry was heard from behind them as another soldier was dragged away in mere seconds. Everyone turned to him, but it was too late. Then another cry broke the silence from yet another point in their formation as someone else was taken. The men took steps to get closer together. Confusion extending itself through the unit. 

"Hold your positions!" Raphael ordered. His eyes and hearing trying to anticipate the next movement. The lizards where very swift.

Suddenly he heard a slight rasping sound above a nearby boulder. His eyes darted to the area, his 500 Smith and Wesson aimed and ready. The second he saw the flicker of color among the brown, he shot. A loud screech was heard right before the massive animal rolled from the top of the rocks, gunshot to its eye, one of their few weak spots. 

"Over there!" A soldier called as he pointed out a Skull Lizard that stepped into the open. The large beast observed the men without making any movements towards them. "Another!" The lizards where making it clear that they had the squadron surrounded. These were some of the biggest Lacerta they had ever seen. 

"Steady, men!" Traximus wanted to avoid any sudden movements that would trigger an attack. He needed everyone to be in position, taking down as many creatures down before the others could pounce. 

"Steady!" Raphael repeated the order with his loud resonating voice, reaching all of his men. 

The Lacerta chirped at each other as they communicated. That sound crept deep into Raphael's psyche; those were the same noises he heard right before his family was ripped away from his life. He shook his head, snapping himself back to their grim reality. "On the count of three, aim for the biggest four!" Traximus ordered. 

"Biggest four on three, men!" Raph repeated, this time with a short delay, a clear give away that his mind was going through turmoil. 

Casey looked at Lagdora, their eyes letting each other know they had noticed their friend's slip-up. 

"One!" Traximus started to count. "Two!" Everyone re-cocked their guns, the tension so thick it could be cut with a knife... "THREE!"


	3. Chapter 3

The night was quiet... a little too quiet. Leonardo had been feeling a sense of unease during the whole day, but now with the sun down the little serenity that he had left had dissipated. His ninjitsu training had conditioned both his mind and body to a certain innate calmness. Meditating was not helping tonight. There was something in the air that was making the oxygen around him thicker. 

"Leonardo, sir. You seem anxious..." Embolos, the kind giant bull-man, was the closest to Leonardo in his squadron. It was not rare for him to notice something was off with his commanding officer. 

"Yes... I can't seem to shake this feeling that something is off..." Leo twirled a bullet casing between his fingers; something he did whenever he was deep in thought. 

"Perhaps a nice run would help those nerves?" Embolos smiled at Leo, grabbing for his axe-hammer with his right hand. 

Leonardo quirked an eyebrow. "For someone like you out of people to make such a suggestion leads me to believe I must be getting on your nerves with my pacing...?" Embolos was one of the most disciplined soldiers Leo had ever met. To go out at night without real consent was not something he would normally propose. Without a formal agreement, Leonardo sheathed his twin tanto blades and holstered his magnum to his belt. "Lead the way, soldier." 

Embolos was heavier than Leo, for which he stayed in low ground while the forest-green turtle rather leap above the rock formations, his martial arts training making stealth and agility second nature. He was called 'the silent death' by many in his squadron... The reasons obvious. 

They covered a lot of ground in no time at all, getting about seven miles away from base. "Sir, it is awfully quiet tonight..." 

That was the thought that had given Leo his worry all day. "Yes. It is-" Leo's words where cut off by the sudden sound of gunfire going off in the distance. Leo immediately leaped to the floor next to Embolos, a silent glance, then a nod followed, and he started to lead the way towards the noise. 

There were Lacerta bodies on the ground, the remaining reptiles very agile, leaping through the air in a savage carnage trying to sink their teeth and claws on whomever they could reach. 

The special unit scattered in smaller formations to make it harder for the predators to pick their targets. Their training had prepared them to fight all enemies, but fighting beings who didn't have real tactical movements was proving to be rather difficult, and the casualties, even if few, were staring to add up. Raph got separated from Traximus, both of them leading different groups in hopes of taking the hoard out. 

Raph kept firing his gun, his aim unshakeable, he nailed one after the other either in its eyes or under its neck. If anything came too close to him he had Lag close by ready to slash them down with his claw attachments. As a soldier, Lagdora had had a bit of a rough start, the reason being his body features made it hard for him to use hand held weaponry, his fingers being too long to pull a trigger efficiently. But Traximus had seen great potential in him, and had requested the manufacture of claw-extensions, special made out of a special tungsten blend, the strongest natural metal in existence. He had become a master in close attacks, being an invaluable member of the squadron. Any time a Lacerta came too close to Raphael, Lag would swiftly take it down by beheading it, or would slow its movements by gauging its eyes. 

"They're never ending!" Casey yelled. 

"Keep reloading!" Raphael's forearms where numb from the constant firing of his Smith and Wesson twin revolvers. His body was used to pushing its limits, but for some reason this particular night, the skull lizards where chirping the same way they chirped when they destroyed his home... Raphael kept fighting his mind to stay focused, and ignore the painful memories that were clawing themselves to the surface of his heart. 

It was one of those moments that terror jumped in front of him, glazing his sight for the quick second that it took a Lacerta to swipe its claws over his right arm, cutting into his muscle. Raphael roared in pain, Lag quickly jumped forward and took the lizard down. "Raphael!" 

"I'm ok! Stay focused!" Raph let his mangled arm hang to his side as he used his teeth to hold a loaded gun-barrel to replace the half empty one in his weapon. Suddenly, he heard a low rumble behind him. He turned to find a Lacerta charging at him. His pupils shrunk, bracing for the impact. 

The hard skull of the animal pummeled against his chest. He heard a loud cracking sound followed by the sharpest pain he had felt in his life. His body was sent flying back into a large boulder which stopped his trajectory. He couldn't breathe... every time he tried to expand his lungs he felt as if he was drowning. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a dry gasp came out. "Raaaaappphhh!!!!!!" Casey's scream faded out in a high pitch ring in the turtle's ear-drums. He saw Lag running towards him right before his eyes fogged over. Then, everything was dark. 

Lagdora ran for Raphael's body while Casey kept shooting the animals around them. The scaly lizard propped his Commander's body against his own from behind. "I can't get a pulse!" 

"Damn it to hell!" Jones' dark eyes where wide with a mix of rage and fear. His Ak-47 kept blasting away a storm of bullets, their casings filling the ground at his feet. For every Lacerta he took down, two would come forward. After sending three more to oblivion, his gun jammed. "Fuckin' piece of shit! Aaahhhh!!!" He threw the weapon at the nearest monster and ran to crouch next to his comrades. He shared a look with Lag, they both knew they were done for. 

Suddenly, out of the corner of their eyes, they saw a flash of green. 

Leonardo slid on his carapace underneath a line of Lacerta, his twin tanto blades in hand, he severed their heads as he passed them by. Casey looked at Lagdora. "His uniform! He's on our side!" As Leo stood up, he unholstered his Magnum and shot a Lacerta coming form above. The beast fell in front of the three friends, hurt but not dead, it tried to jump on them, but a massive weight came down on its head, crushing its skull with a massive blow. Embolos was roaring as he lifted his axe-hammer with his bull strength. 

Leonardo ran to him, he pulled some kind of device from his jacket, pressed a button to its side and threw it to the air. As the cube-shaped object reached a certain height, it opened, a laser-like light emanated from it, shooting down it struck every single Lacerta left on the battle field. Everything went silent. It was over. 

"Raph! Raph, buddy!?" Both Casey and Lagdora where shaking Raphael's body, trying to get some kind of response out of his limp state. But Raph didn't move. 

"What happened?" Leo approached the two and crouched down, bringing his fingers to Raph's neck. 

"He got hit bad, sir," Jones answered. 

"He's alive, barely... we need to get his lungs working again. Lay him back." Leonardo guided Lag in lowering Raph's body carefully. He then leaned down and got the side of his face very close to Raph's mouth, trying to hear for signs of breathing. Not feeling anything, he closed Raph's nostrils with one hand and placed his mouth to the emerald turtle's, blowing air into his lungs a couple of times before giving the chance to resume breathing on his own. He repeated this two times, but Raph still refused to breathe. "Come on, soldier... Don't die in front of your men." Leo's whisper was heard in an echo inside Raph's head, and it was after the third time his lungs where filled with Leo's breath that Raph came to in a coughing fit. 

"Raph!" Casey and Lag helped their friend to sit, Leo was still close, his hands lingering on Raph's chest. 

Raphael's eyes slightly opened, just for a moment, enough to catch a glimpse of Leo's face. He then faded back to sleep. "He will be ok, but his wounds need tending."

"Leonardo. Embolos."

The two soldiers turned to see a blood-covered Traximus approaching them. 

"Commander Trax. It is an honor to see you again, sir." Leonardo saluted courteously. Embolos bowed. 

"The honor is mine. I owe you greatly, soldiers." Trax then noticed Raphael on the floor, his eyes growing wide in concern. 

"He is out of danger, but he needs medical attention, as many other of your men, I'll assume," Leonardo said. "Help is on its way. As soon as we reached you and saw what was happening, I sent an SOS back to base. They should be arriving any moment now." 

"Thank you, Leonardo. You are as efficient as ever." Traximus walked towards Raphael and the others. "You have done well, men. I am proud of you all." 

Lagdora and Casey smiled at their superior, but their minds where still troubled as they laid eyes on their fallen friend.


	4. Chapter 4

COURAGE: A Battle Within -4

"Raphie. Hey, Raphie! Wake up!" That voice... He knew that voice. "You're gonna be late for school, and I'm not covering for you again!" His eyes snapped open. 

"Nira...?" His voice sounded different... it sounded young. Very young... "How...?" 

Raph was sitting while looking at his beloved older sister... His sister who had been ripped from the world by those horrid creatures years ago. "Rule number one when engaged in battle?" 

"Eyes always open..." he whispered. 

"Right." She hugged him tightly. "Open your eyes, little bro... OPEN THEM!"

Raph woke up with a loud gasp. The second he took that deep breath he felt pins and needles traveling through his chest.

"Careful, soldier. Your shell is cracked. Any sudden movement will make you see stars... Literally." He was in an infirmary. The head medic was standing over him as he proceeded to examine his wounds. The medic was a turtle like him. "My name is Donatello. I've been in charge of your care since your arrival."

"Mint tea..." Raphael murmured, still feeling dazed. 

"Would you like some mint tea?" A woman was now addressing him. 

"A-April...?" Raph tried to turn to look at her. 

"Yes, Raph. It's me. You're gonna be ok, everyone is ok." April stepped into his line of sight, cupping his face with her palm. "Try and get some rest while Donnie looks you over, 'kay..?" 

"Ok..." Raph's eyes closed as he drifted back to sleep. 

"Wow... He's a strong one. Didn't think he would be waking up so soon after how mangled he came in and all the blood he lost." Donnie continued to asses his wounds with April, taking note on the progress he was making after only a day of receiving treatment. 

"Yeah, Raph has always healed really fast. Casey told me ever since he met him at the academy when they were kids if he would get a cut he would heal in about half the time it took anyone else; anyone normal..." 

"Well, super healing or not, I don't want him moving around for a couple of days. Hand me a catheter kit, I'm sure he's going to be needing to use the bathroom soon." April's eyes widened at those words. 

"No!" Donnie looked at her dumbfounded. "I-I'll do it. Please, you need to go check on the other patients. I'll handle this."

"But you hate doing catherizations... " Donnie stared at April trying to figure out why all of a sudden she had a change of heart on the one subject that she despised most. 

"Well I have to get over that eventually if I want to stay in this field, correct? I'll take care of him." April practically shoved Donnie out of the room. As soon as he closed the door behind him, she let out a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Raph. Your secret is safe." 

April pulled out the plastic sterile sleeve containing the catheter. She prepped herself and then pulled Raph's covers down, exposing his plastron. April gently felt for the soft cartilaginous area in his lower body that protected the pouch where his genitals where kept as a turtle-humanoid. Her fingers carefully spread his opening, exposing Raphael's unusual trait; he was born a hermaphrodite. 

It was known in his village that every five generations a 'special child' would be born harboring both male and female genitalia. What made this child 'special', though, resided much deeper than that fact, or at least that's what Raphael's family kept telling him... 

Raph had done his best to keep this a secret from the world around him. Casey and April knew, being that they had practically grown up together, and also Traximus who had gained Raphael's absolute trust. 

After catheterizing him, April exited the room and proceeded to check on her fiancé. 

"Hey, babe. How's Raph?"

"He's doing good. His wounds already started to heal." April walked over to check on Casey's cuts, specially a nasty gash on his right forearm. "You've been picking at it." Her words a statement, sending a cold wave of shivers down the man's spine. 

"Nu uh!" Her green eyes where piercing. "Well.... Maybe a little...?" 

"Stop it! If you get an infection and loose your arm the wedding is off! I refuse to spend the rest of my life with a man who can't cut his own steaks." April crossed her arms in front of herself, her scowl allowed for no argument. 

"Yes, dear..." Casey's face grew as red as her hair.   
\------------------------------------------

Back in the center of base, Leonardo was going over some katas his father, the great Master Splinter, a retired general from the army, had taught him in order to polish his ninjutsu skills. From the doorway, Donatello cleared his throats to announce his presence. "I see you, Donnie... Let me finish this kata."

"He woke up." Donnie leaned against the frame of the door. 

Leonardo's eyes widen momentarily. "Already? I thought he would be out for at least three days." He reached his ending pose, took a small bow and went towards the olive-skinned turtle. 

Don handed Leo a dry towel to wipe his sweat with as they walked through the corridors. "So did I. I mean, he was not being really coherent, but he recognized April and had a short exchange of words, then went right back to sleep... Who is this kid?" 

"Trax's golden boy." Leo smiled at Don. 

"Oh, I know that look..." Donnie returned the smile. 

"I've heard stories about him. He is a fearsome soldier, best in his squadron. I'm anxious to see what he's made of." Leo's eyes had a glimmer that was not often seen. "What did he say when he woke up?"

"Well... Pretty mush just two worlds: mint tea." Leo's face blushed a little as his mind scrambled realizing the possible meaning of those words. 

"Hmm... One would think you are crushing on this fellow..." Don teased. 

"Leo is crushing on someone!?!!" The two turtles turned back to spot a third one of their kind, this one had sea-foam-green skin and the brightest baby-blue eyes. "Ooohhh, do tell, big brother!" He jumped and clung himself to Leonardo's neck. 

"Michelangelo..." Leonardo's voice had a warning tone, but the younger turtle paid no attention to it. 

"Is it a boy? Oh, please let it be a boy!" He grabbed Leo by his cheeks, squeezing his face to make his lips pucker up. 

Leo pried himself out of Mikey's hands, grunting his displeasure. "I am not crushing on anyone." His voice was soft yet strong. "Shouldn't you be in the kitchen preparing for lunch?" He raised a brow ridge at his younger brother. 

"On my way there now, but I had to take advantage and come say hi to my shnookum!" Mikey jumped next to Donnie and placed a kiss on his lips. Donnie blushed. "Leo, I left water boiling for your tea; you're running low on the mint flavored one, by the way. I know that's your favorite. See ya later tonight, Donnie-boy..." Mikey's las sentence was a whisper that sent a shiver down to Donatello's groin area. 

"See ya, Mikey..." Donnie's voice was soft as it trailed behind his lover's swaying hips. "So... mint tea?" 

Leo cleared his throat, then tried to change the subject. "Don, you guys should really restrict your amours to privacy..."

"We aren't dating, Leo." Don's voice raised a little, his brown eyes piercing into Leo's. 

"But, I thought-"

"It's an open relationship. Open as in uncommitted." Donnie started to walk off towards the labs, waiving Leonardo dismissively away. 

"They will figure it out. Be patient." Embolos appeared from behind one of the doors. 

"I know they will... Eventually. If only they could look past their stubbornness." Leo gave his friend a side smile with a shoulder-shrug. He loved his brother and smart friend very much, and he had absolutely nothing against their relationship status, but he also knew that they both craved something else... Something more personal. Something that they each could offer the other. But it wasn't his place to interfere, so he would patiently wait and be supportive whenever he would be needed. 

"How is the soldier?" the bull-man asked. 

"Recovering very quickly. Donatello is impressed by his healing abilities." 

"Just Donatello?" Embolos crossed his arms. 

"You know I've been looking forward to meeting him." Leo waved at him and started to walk off towards the gym to resume his daily workout session before lunch. Embolos raised a brow and smiled. Not many things excited his friend, and it was nice to see him looking forward to something else other than only following orders in the field. 

Leo entered the gym to find someone already there. "Sir!" He stood straight and saluted his superior. 

"At ease, Leonardo." The man in front of him was dressed in an all black uniform. His dark hair combed slicked back. 

"Thank you, Commander Bishop, sir." Leo separated his legs and crossed his arms behind his back. 

"I heard you went out last night with Embolos?" The man walked around Leonardo, his sight unwavering. 

"Yes, sir."

"You know I had forbidden any excursions without a full team squadron." Bishop stood right in front of Leo. So close he could feel his breath as he spoke to him. "Explain yourself." 

"I have no excuse, sir. I was feeling unsettled and decided a run would help. It was my decision, Embolos was following my orders when he followed." Leo looked straight at the man's ebony eyes. 

His superior stared back, examining him. "It was careless, and you should receive a reprimand for it, but if it wasn't for your careless act Commander Traximus' special unit would have perished and more lives would have been lost. For this occasion, I will look the other way. Do not let it happen again."

"Yes, sir." 

The man held Leo's gaze for a few more seconds, then let out what sounded like a scoff before stepping away and exiting the gym. 

Bishop could be Leonardo's superior, but there was something about him that had always made the turtle feel anxious and guarded... He knew Bishop was hiding something.


	5. Chapter 5

"Nira.... Nira.... what's wrong with mommy?" Raphael's voice was trembling with fear as he observed his older sister trying to pack his mother's wounds; blood gushing in thick streams from them. 

"Look away, Raphie..." Nira did her best to stay calm for her little brother's sake.

"Where's daddy?" His little face was wet with tears. His knuckles cut and bloody from crawling through debris to escape. 

Nira stopped her ministrations on their mother's body. Her face looked up, her shoulders relaxed as she let out a big breath. Her face then turned to Raph. "Run, Raphie..." Raphael's eyes widened, he opened his mouth to protest. "If you love me, run as fast as you can. Promise me you will never look back. Promise me you will live." Raph started to crawl to his beloved sister. She smiled tenderly at him. Reaching for her naginata, she blew a kiss at him with her left hand. 

"Nira, don't leave me!" She looked back again as she stood up. She brought her finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet. One more tender smile and she ran off in a wild scream. Raph held his breath. He wouldn't leave his sister. What if his father and older brother where still alive and fighting? He needed to fight too. He stood up, ready to follow Nira, but what his eyes saw depleted him of whatever courage he had built up... His village was destroyed. Lacertas where demolishing it all. 

He saw his father beside his sister, he saw him take a blow to his chest and fly off across two houses... He saw him stay down... He saw him die. His sister charged forward screaming, she lacerated the legs of one of the beasts, cut another one's neck open, but the creatures kept coming. The legless one bit down on her right arm, then another came on the other side. She screamed in agony and Raph could only watch as his precious Nira was torn apart by the beasts. "RUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!!!" was the last word he heard her scream, and so he did. 

Raph ran as fast as his little legs could take him. He ran and ran and didn't stop, not even when the sun rose in the horizon. Finally he collapsed from exhaustion, too tired to even cry. That's when Casey's mother found him, more dead than alive.

Raphael's eyes opened slowly. He could hear the beeping of the monitors next to his bed. His throat was dry. His chest ached. He brought a hand to rub at his face but pain stung him as soon as he made contact. He slowly tried to touch his skin again. He felt the stitches going down from his forehead and over his brow. "That's gonna leave a nice scar..." he said. 

"It won't be too bad. I'm pretty good with stitches." 

Raph turned his face slowly towards the voice. "How long have I been out?"

Donatello closed his case-folder and walked towards the bed. "Less than two days."

"Damn, that long?" 

Don's eyes widen at Raph's words. "That's actually a very short time to be out for the severity of your injuries. Even though when you arrived here your life was not in immediate danger, recovering from a cracked plastron and blood loss is not an easy task for us turtles." 

Raph lifted his left arm to stretch, but excruciating pain made him scream. Donatello ran to his side and helped him reposition his arm over his chest. 

"You received a deep cut to your arm. It lacerated your deltoid and bicep, a little on your brachialis as well..." Don pulled out an extendable pen and proceeded to point to Raph in a diagram what exactly he was walking about. 

"Oh man... I think I'm gonna be sick..." He closed his eyes tightly. "Is any of this damage gonna be permanent?" 

"Oh no, not at all." Donnie's voice was as nonchalant as could be. "Maybe if you would have been under any other physician's care, but under my hands you are expected to make a full recovery." Don gave a thumbs up as Raph squinted one eye open to look at him. "Besides, I've never seen anyone with healing abilities as yours. I am impressed..." 

Raph gave out a sigh. "Yeah, that's what I hear every time I get a bump or scratch..." 

"Yes, April did mention that." Don pushed the buttons on Raphael's bed, making the top part prop up, bringing the patient to an almost sitting position. "Let's check your reflexes, shall we...?" Donnie pulled out a small flash light and proceeded to check Raphael's eyes. "You have a very unusual iris color, Raphael."

Raph couldn't help a slight blush creep onto his face. "My sister had the same color..." 

Donatello's eyes widened. "Oh, really? I would love to see that."

"Yeah... Me too." Raph looked at Don and noticed the questioning look he was giving. "My family died, many years ago..."

"Oh... I'm so sorry to hear that." Don put the light away and took a hold of Raph's hand, to which the emerald turtle flinched. "Does it hurt?"

But it wasn't pain which Raph was feeling, but anxiety. He wasn't used to being touched so much. "N-no. It doesn't." Don caught up instantly on the other's feelings and mischievously decided to push on his contact a little more to test how far he could go. His fingers went up Raphael's arm, lingering momentarily on his shoulder before traveling through his collarbone. "I-is everything ok, doc?" Donnie glanced up at him and nodded. His hands then went down his plastron, feeling a little around his injury, which relaxed Raph a little. But it was when the olive-colored turtle placed his hand on Raph's lap that the beeping of the heart monitors became the loudest and fastest. 

Donnie held back his smile and simply patted his thigh as he pushed himself back. "Well, everything seems to be going great, Raphael. I think we can remove that catheter and allow you some movement. Let's lay you back and get that taken care of, shall we...?" 

To Raph's dismay the bed started to go down. For Don to remove his catheter it meant he needed to look at him... Down there. He pressed his mouth to a thin line, trying to think of a solid excuse that would make Don believe it was necessary to leave the damn thing in longer until April was available. As he was about to open his mouth and blab the first thing that came to mind, April came in through the door. Raph swore he saw angel wings carrying her in. 

"Hey Raph! You're up!" She walked towards the two with the biggest smile on her face. "Casey will be so glad... He's been worried sick."

"Good timing, April! Can you please hand me a pair of gloves? I am about to remove his catheter." April's stomach made a somersault when she heard those words leave Donatello's lips. 

"Oh, Donnie, actually I came looking for you. Mikey needs you, something about the right protein amount for tonight's dinner? He said he believes he heard you tell him to double it?" April came up with the first plausible lie she could think of. Using Mikey as her escape goat was not something new to her. At the end of the day, for whatever the reason, every lie she had said involving him had turned out to be true. She could bet her stethoscope that he in fact was planning to increase the protein levels to help fatten up the soldiers who had just arrived and had been eating nothing but bread and potatoes in the desert. 

"Mikey! I told him not to make changes in dietary plans without my knowledge. I'm sorry, I gotta go. Can you take care of this for me?" Don was already walking out the door even before he heard April's answer. 

"Phew! That was close!" 

"Thanks, sis. I owe ya." Raph took several deep breaths, as his nerves eased up his foggy mind was allowed to settle. 

"No worries, Raph. Here, let's take care of that thing before Donnie gets back." April carefully pulled the catheter from Raphael's unique urethra. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, despite the fact my arm was almost torn off and I almost had the same fate as Humpty Dumpty..." They both laughed. "Can I walk?"

"Hmm, not sure about that one, Raph. We have to ask Don, but I'm sure you can sit and eat something." April pressed the button to lift the top-end of the bed. "Do you maybe want some... Mint tea?" 

"What? Mint tea? That's random..." Raph was confused. 

"Those were your first words when you came to." April handed him a plastic cup with water and a straw. Raph looked at her with his brow lifted, he flicked the straw out and drank a gulp of water without it. 

"No idea what I meant by it. How's Casey and Lag?" 

"They're fine. Just a few cuts and scrapes, nothing serious. Casey has been bugging me to let him in to see you but I wanted to wait until after you where really conscious." April took out her cellphone from her pocket and dialed her fiancé's number. "Hey, honey... He's up." She hung up, and about five seconds later they could hear the sound of hurried footsteps coming down the corridor. 

"Raph! Raphie! Talk to me, bro!" Casey ran in and immediately crouched down at Raph's bedside. Lag was right behind him, only the bearded dragon humanoid was as quiet as he had ever been. 

"I'm ok, kids." Raph smiled at his friends. "You guys did well. If it wasn't for the two of you I would have been inside the smelly stomach of one of them fucking lizards by now, being digested and shit." But the guys didn't smile back. "Come on. Stop being moms about this."

"We failed you, Raphael..." Lag was the first to speak. "It was not by our doing that you are now alive. If it wasn't for captain Leonardo you would have been a goner... Well, all of us would." 

"Leonardo?" Raph set his cup down. 

"Yeah, Raph. He came out of nowhere right before one of them things finished us off and slid the heads off a hoard of them in one single slash. Ya should've seen him, he moved like a ghost." Casey played out the way Leo had come into the battlefield, Lagdora nodding in affirmation of the story. 

"He was the one who got you breathing again, sir," Lag chipped in. 

Raph scrambled his head realizing that might have been the guy he had heard those stories of. "Wait, is this Leonardo-"

"At your service, soldier." They all turned to look towards the door, where Leonardo stood, dressed in full uniform. "I'm glad to see you are making a quick recovery."

The second Raph glanced at Leo's face, it all came rushing back: Leonardo's face covered in Lacerta blood, his lips pressing against his own as he gave him CPR... The taste of mint tea that lingered over the iron taste of blood... Raph blushed deeply. "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives." The emerald turtle was able to stammer out. 

"It is our duty. I look forward in seeing you out of this infirmary soon. I've heard a great deal of you, Raphael. And I would like to put those rumors to the test." Leo had a cocky grin on his face, which Raph liked.

"Oh yeah...? Well I've heard a good deal rumors 'bout ya too." There were sparks flying across the room between them. If Raph wanted to start walking before, he definitely wanted to do so now more than ever. Matter fact, he wanted to run!


	6. Chapter 6

"Careful, Soldier. We wouldn't want any of those wounds re-opening." Leonardo dodged under Raphael's fists, coming underneath his body as he swept his feet from under him. Raphael backflipped on his hands and sprang himself back, landing with his legs bent enough to propel himself right back at Leonardo's body with a scream.

Leo crossed his forearms in front of his head to block the blow. He sidestepped, connecting a fist to Raphael's exposed side. The younger turtle grunt as he felt his air painfully get knocked out of him, but his stance was almost unaltered. Raph kicked his leg up, hitting Leo with his knee on his thigh, causing him to crouch down. "Now, that's a better angle for ya, Cap'n," Raph snickered. 

Leo smiled, he regained his leverage and slammed his torso to Raph's mid section, hugging his shell. Raphael fell backwards with Leo straddling his hips. Raph threw a few punches to Leo, who deflected them almost effortlessly. One of Raph's blows was slower than the rest, giving Leo the opportunity to grab his wrist. He swung his left leg over Raph's body, laying it over his chest, he placed his body back to the opposite side, putting Raphael's right arm in a tight lock. The pain that shot up from Raph's elbow was enough to make him tap the other's leg and yield. Leo immediately let go. "Good job, Raphael."

Raph was panting as he sat up looking at Leo. "Ya almost took my damn arm off. What are ya, part snake or s'mthing?" 

Leo smiled as he offered his hand to help the other stand. "I took it easy on you. You're still recovering, remember?" He pat Raph's shell. 

"I'm fine. Stitches come out today." Raph stretched out his left arm to show Leo that his range of mobility was pretty much intact. 

"Yeah, you're actually late for that appointment..." Leonardo gave Raph a toothy grin. 

"Shit! Seriously!?! What the shell, Leo! I told ya ta remind me!" Raph ran out, snatching a dry gym towel on his way out. Leo followed him shaking his head. Raph stormed into the infirmary. "Sorry I'm la-...te...?"

Donnie had Mikey pinned back on his desk in a full makeout session. The olive-green medic jumped back at the intrusion, while Mikey simply smiled and waved at Raphael. "Uhm, you're early..." said Donnie as he rubbed he back of his head.

Raph's face went scarlet red; he could feel the steam escape through his ear slits. Leo leaned on the door frame. "Very professional, guys." 

"Awww come on, big bro! Live a little!" Mikey danced over around Donnie, clinging himself to him. 

Raphael looked at Leo, who just shook his head as he pinched between his eyes. "What have I told you two about public displays...?" he murmured. 

"Uhm, I'll just come back later..." Raph started to back out. 

"No, no, its fine, your here already so we mind as well get this over with." Before Raph could even answer, Donatello proceeded to pull a sterile tweezer kit and gloves. 

"Michelangelo, a word outside... Now." Leonardo walked out, his younger brother followed. 

"Leo, stop being such a tight-ass! We were behind closed doors." Mikey spoke in a hushed voice. 

"Can you show a bit more remorse? Didn't you see Raphael's face? We was clearly distraught by the scene." Leo pulled Mikey by his arm closer to him. 

"Ow! My arm doesn't come off, you know!" Mikey pulled his arm. "And, Mister Prudeness, nobody told me I had to babysit golden boy." 

"A little consideration is not considered babysitting." Leo pushed his finger into Mikey's shoulder. "Now go back in there and apologize." 

Mikey was about to give his brother a witty response, but Leonardo's dark eyes silenced his tongue. Mikey simply nodded, and turned to walk back in. 

As they were about to open the door, Leo heard Donatello talking to Raph. He grabbed the door and signaled to Mike to keep quiet. "Hah... Speaking of rude... Eavesdropper," Mikey whispered. 

Leo shushed him, getting the side of his head closer to the door.

"So, you guys are like a couple?" Raph's voice was shaky as he pushed the words out. 

"No, not a couple," Donnie answered. 

"But, you guys kissed..." Raph pressed, this time with more confidence. 

"Yes, and we also have sex. Still, not a couple." Donnie's voice was straight forward. 

"Donnie.... a little more tact..." Leo whispered while Mikey muffled a giggle with his hands. 

Raphael was silent. Donnie let out a sigh. "It's complicated... If your question is if I care or not for Michelangelo, the answer is yes. But we are in an open relationship, which means we are not bound to each other exclusively. It is not traditional, but it's what works for us." 

Raph pondered for a couple of seconds. "I see... Does Leo..." 

"He knows." Donnie answered before the question was made. "All done, Raphael." 

That was Leo's cue, he opened the door. "Mike has something he would like to say." 

The youngest turtle gave Leo a playful glance. "Hey, Raph... Would ya join us for movie night later?" Mikey had a wide grin on. 

Leo face-palmed himself. "Michelangelo..." 

"That's a great idea! You should definitely come!" Donnie agreed. 

"We promise to behave... Besides, brother dearest will be there too!" Mikey pressed on. 

"Uhm, gee thanks for the thought, but I think I'll pass... Movies ain't really my thing." Raph stood from the infirmary bed and walked backwards towards the door. "I'll see you guys later, I have to go check in with Commander Trax. Thanks for the stitch removal, doc." He then waved at Leo and sped off. 

"Real subtle, Mikey." Leo glared at his younger brother. 

"It was worth the shot." He shrugged his shoulders. 

"You two, promise to take my recommendations more seriously... Your behavior is a reflection of me, do not forget that." Leonardo left the room as well. 

"Blah blah, blah blah blah, blah." The youngest turtle stuck his tongue out. 

"Very mature, Mike." Donnie hugged his lover from behind and peppered his neck with soft kisses, making the other hum his approval and extend his neck to expose more flesh. "You going to tell me what your planning or is this one of your 'wait and see', schemes?" 

"Wait and see, Donnie-boy... Wait and see..." Mikey let out a churr as he wrapped his arm back to grasp Donnie's loving face, closing the door with his leg.

Leonardo walked towards his superior's office. They had a meeting scheduled to discuss an approach plan to recover a patch of land that had been taken over by a hoard of Lacerta. The land belonged to a peaceful village, and was too close for comfort to base. They needed to push back. "Commander Bishop, Sir." 

"At ease, Soldier." Bishop stood from his desk and tapped some pages on it to align them together. "I will assume you read the report?"

"About three times, Sir," Leonardo answered. 

"I did five..." Bishop raised a brow at him. "We will move in in two days. That will give us enough time for briefing and weapon control. You will pick a group of eight men to join your squadron. Apart from them we will have fifty other soldiers to help with maintaining the periphery and keeping all the beasts in. That will give you time to get in position and deploy the laser bombs, ending their miserable existence. Understood?"

"Clear as water, Sir." Leonardo knew his superior liked to keep things brief and to the point. He wasn't one known to entertain questions when giving orders; a reason why Leonardo had been the only one out of six captains who had lasted under his command. The others, per Bishop, where incompetent. 

"Dismissed." Bishop sat back down and swiveled his chair around. Leonardo gave a small head bow before exiting the office. To be completely honest, he also liked to keep things as brief as he could. He did not find his Commander's presence pleasant at all. 

Leo walked towards the dining area. It was around lunch time. Leo was deep in thought as he sat at his usual corner table. He was pondering on which men to pick as members of his elite squadron. Embolos was a sure one, the others would most likely come from the special unit belonging to Traximus, if approved by the giant Commander. "This seat taken?" Leo pushed the chair back with his foot so Donnie could take a seat. "You're more meditative than usual..." 

"We are to move in on the Lacertas which took over the neighboring village." Leo informed his friend.

"We saw that coming." Donnie took a sip of his coffee. 

"I am to choose eight men to infiltrate the area with me while a larger group watches the periphery so nothing can escape." Leo crossed his arms over his chest. 

"Embolos will be first pick." Donnie stated. "I have a hunch of who else is on your mind..." 

"You are his physician, Don. Is he well enough to face a mission like this one?" Leo turned his face to his friend. 

"Well, in just two and a half weeks he pretty much healed as much as anyone else would have in about a month or two... You have been sparring with the kid, how is his strength? His endurance?" Donnie swirled the remainder of his drink in its mug; the questions he had voiced were meant for his ears as well. 

"Hello, ladies. What is this? If you gals are expecting fine dining with table service you are out of luck." Michelangelo placed a cup of mint flavored green tea in front of Leo. 

His oldest brother raised an eye ridge at him. "You're so nosey, you just can't help yourself, huh Mikey...?" 

"Moi? Nonsense!" The sea-foam green terrapin took a seat regardless. 

The three continued to talk about Leo's assignment. They were deep in conversation when Raphael walked in. Leonardo didn't notice him, but Donatello did. 

The olive green turtle signaled with his eyes to Mikey the presence of the fourth one while Leo was speaking, his eyes coincidentally closed. Mikey smirked at Donnie, giving him a mischievous little grin. 

Donatello stood up and walked behind Leo. "Gosh, Leo, your shoulders are really tense... Here, let me help." Donnie placed his hands over Leonardo's head and started to massage him. Mikey crossed his legs and held his face with one hand while resting his elbow on the table top. He stared at Raph, and the second he saw his golden eyes find them, he gave Don a small wink. 

Donatello pressed his fingers over Leo's scalp, hitting certain spots he knew would feel good. Leo's shoulders relaxed a bit as he tilted his head back slightly. Donnie then proceeded to trace his thumbs down his neck while his other four digits massaged into Leo's face. "Hmm, Donnie, that feels nice." Leonardo's small smile was caught by Raph.

Raphael was with Lag and Casey. The three sat at a table across the room from where the other where. Casey and Lag where having one of their usual playful arguments. Raphael couldn't tell you even if u asked about what those two where cackling about... His attention belonged to the placid face Leonardo was making. 

Donatello's hands traveled down to Leo's shoulders. When he rubbed the muscles which connected the back of his trapezoid to his shell, Leo's head tilted forward, his teeth clenching. Raph was mesmerized. He suddenly started to feel his lower regions become tight. This made him nervous. Whenever Raphael experienced an arousal, there would not only be an erection present, but his vulva would secret its natural lubricant moisture as well. 

He licked his lips unconsciously. Casey and Lag where so involved in their discussion they didn't notice their friend did not get up with them to go fetch their trays of food. Raph was in a trance. "I can smell you, you know..." Raphael's body jerked up violently when he heard Mikey's voice purr behind him. "He is yummy looking, isn't he...?"

"W-what?" Raph stuttered. 

"Donnie would know... He's tasted Leo's flesh." Mikey tapped a finger to Raph's beak. "My bro has been stressed over this new mission... Movie night will help him relax. I'll ask you again, would you like to join us...?"

Raph's mouth opened to answer, but no words would come out.

"We have the television room all to ourselves tonight. Meet us there at nine..." Mikey stood up. "Hey, Leo, look who's here!" 

Leonardo's eyes opened, his face turned to the two younger turtles. "Raphael..." His body was so relaxed that the name rolled out almost as a whisper. 

"You should see how he gets after I give him a couple of beers... See you later, stud." Mikey's voice permeated in Raph's head. He then simply waived at the other two and went back towards the food line to help with the serving of lunch. 

"Hey, Raph; brought ya a tray.... Wow, dude, are you ok? Your face is completely red." Casey set the extra tray for his friend and touched the back of his hand to Raphael's forehead. 

Raph flinched at the contact. "I'm fine, ya bonehead, just really thirsty." He grabbed one of the cups with water on the trays and gulped it so fast he spilled half of it on his chest. He glanced at Leo and saw he was giggling at him. The small smile which involuntarily curved Raph's lips, also made his heart thump. Had Leo and Don actually been.... Intimate? Why was that thought making his chest hurt?


	7. Chapter 7

COURAGE: A Battle Within -7

"Ugh.... I really hate that guy." Raph walked down a corridor that led to one of the garages with Casey and Lag by his side. 

"Who? The cook?" asked Casey. 

"Nah, i don't know... Guy seems pretty okay to me..." said Lag.

"Yeah, he would think that cause they're both equally annoying." Casey punched Lag's shoulder to which the reptile simply stuck his tongue out in mockery. "But ta be honest I thought ya would be glad ta see so many of yer kind at once.... I was actually surprised ta see them. In all our travels not once have we seen any turtles."

"Yeah...." Raph mumbled. His eyes caught a glimpse of Donatello turning a corner. His mind drifting back to Michelangelo's words. He shook his head to clear it. "Whatever. Ain't that big of a deal. Come on, I've been dying to get my hands in some grease." He pushed his friends forward. 

Once in the garage, the three friends got busy right away, working on the engine of some of the armored trucks from base. Doing mechanical work was one of Raph's favorite things. His mind would always drift along the gears and pistons, forgetting about any worries which plagued his thoughts. He was elbow deep under the hood of an M-ATV when he heard familiar laughter from a far corner of the garage. He raised his head and peeked from the side of the hood. Behind the massive body of Embolos was Leonardo. His smiling face smeared with black oil. He was tinkering with a Kawasaki KLR650. Raph's mouth watered... He loved motorcycles! Without thinking twice he walked over to them. 

Leo saw him coming and waved. "Hey, Raph." 

"Yo, Leo. Is she yours?" Raph bent down to look at the engine. 

"No, she just came in. A hand-me-down from a sister base across the state. It was supposed to be discarded since there's something wrong with the engine, but it was decided to let us give her a look before they took her apart for scraps..." Leo stood and wiped his hands. 

"I am sure our resident genius will figure out what's wrong and fix it," Embolos said. 

"Resident genius?" Raph questioned.

"Hey, guys!" Donnie cheerfully trotted up to the bunch. "Sorry I took so long... I had to check on a patient first." 

"She's all yours, Donnie. I took the carburetor off and the oil tank is now empty. Sorry I can't be of more help with this. I'm waaay out of my confort zone." Leo rubbed his face with his sleeve in an attempt to rid himself of the oil smudges. 

Donatello chuckled and wiped a big blob of the substance from the edge of the older turtle's jawline. "I swear, only you get this dirty by doing those simple tasks..."

"Ah, yes! The Captain was never good with mechanics. A tactician at heart, but give him a nut and bolt and he will not know what to do..." Embolos laugh resonated through the garage. Raph couldn't help a smile when he noticed the dark blush that spread over Leonardo's cheeks.

"Hey, Raph! You seem to have made a full recovery! Gosh, you really need to allow me to take some DNA samples from you... Your physiology has me stunned!" Donatello had already started working on the bike as he continued to speak to Raphael. "A small specimen of your blood would serve the purpose..." 

"He's not a lab rat, Donnie." Leo noticed that Raphael was getting uneasy. Donnie simply smiled. 

"Yo, Raph! We need ya here, buddy!" Casey called to his friend while trying to move an engine onto a lift with Lagdora.

"Shit! Don't drop that!" Rap ran to aid his pals. 

A few hours passed while the two groups worked on their separate vehicles. Suddenly, a bell was heard announcing the approach of dinner time. That was everyone's sign to wrap up whatever they were doing and get ready for their last meal of the day. Everyone laid down their tools and headed for the showers. Raph never had a problem doing so since his anatomy was well hidden behind a section of soft cartilage on his lower plastron, but seeing as Leonardo was amongst the group of dirty soldiers, he could not help the tinge of nerves that crept up his stomach. 

Leo seemed to be ignoring Raphael all together. He kept chatting with Donatello, laughing with Embolos.... Raph kept glancing at Leonardo's form the distance as he washed his body beside his friends, but he saw no evidence of the forest-green turtle looking back in his direction. 

Raphael's eyes lingered longer and longer on Leo's body with every look he gave him. Leo had a lot of scars painting him. His muscle definition was one of the leanest he had ever seen. Water streamed down his figure, dancing over the numerous trauma evidences. Raph looked down at his own body... He had quite the collection of cicatrixes as well. He was remembering how he got some of his deepest ones as he absentmindedly glanced up at the other turtle; this time his pupils locked with Leo's. Raph immediately looked down and started to frantically apply soap on his face. He kept his eyes tightly shut through the whole process all the way down to the rinsing. 

Amongst his illogical panic, Raph accidentally pushed some of the soap into his eyes. "Fuck!" he hissed out. Doing the best he could to relief the burn, he then turned the shower head off and reached for his towel. 

"Here..." Raph forced his red-shot eyes open; naked Leo was handing him his towel with one of his beautiful smiles curving his lips. Raph took the towel, mumbled his 'thanks' and walked out, leaving Casey and Lag behind. In the locker area, the emerald turtle started to dress at a quick pace. "Raphael, a word...?" Leonardo was standing across from him, shirtless. Taking Raphael's silence as cue to continue, he said, "There is report of a Lacerta colony about forty kilometers from base." Raph's attention suddenly snapped back to that of an assertive soldier. "Even though it sounds like a distance away, we all know the Lacertas move and expand their territories, once settled, at extraordinary speeds. Therefore, my superior has entrusted me with the task of choosing a small group to infiltrate the herd and launch laser bombs, taking them out quickly and with minimum casualties." 

"This the same hoard that took over the small village?" Raph asked. 

"Yes. If pushed back, the remaining villagers will be able to recover their land and hopefully rebuild their lives." Leo crossed his arms in front of his chest, a smirk crossed his face as he noticed Raph getting pumped with the information. "You want in?"

"Fuck yeah!" Raph closed his fists and pumped them in the air. He loved the idea of getting a go against those damn Lacerta. 

"Well, I see your plan is going accordingly..." Raph looked to his side, Donnie was leaning against one of the locker rows. 

"He completes my team. I'll see you guys around. Gotta go hand Bishop the personal files for my unit members. By the way, Raphael... I'm bringing Jones and Lagdora as well." Leo winked at Raph, hung his shirt over one shoulder and walked out. 

"Yes! This is awesome! I was startin' ta get crampy." Raph flexed his biceps. 

Donnie giggled. "Seriously, your anatomy is just mind boggling!" Raph blushed slightly. "Sorry... Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. See you later, Prodigy." Donnie left.

Raph didn't really like the extra attention he was receiving by the other turtles. It made him feel self continuous of things... Things he didn't want others to find out about himself. But the expectancy for battle helped him shake the feeling off, at least for the time being. 

The rest of the day went by rather uneventful. He hung out and spoke to Casey and Lag about the laser bombs they were to use on the hoard while playing a hand of poker. Lag told them they had actually been invented by Donatello himself. Word in base was the good Doctor was a master of all trades. Raph was surprised; a trickle of annoyance seeped into his mind as well. Why was Don so damn versatile and interesting!? That just couldn't be legal. 

As the evening approached, so did 'movie night'. "Hey guys! It's movie night tonight! They're playing Forest Gump. You guys goin'?" Casey asked the other two. 

"What...?" Raph raised a brow. 

"Oh yeah, I heard that too. Corny ass movie, but got nothing better ta do, so mind as well." Lag twirled a toothpick between his row of beveled teeth. 

"Hmm, I'm actually feeling tired as fuck. I'm turning in early. Have fun, ladies." Raph stood from their table, laying his cards down. 

As he walked back to his bunk, Raph heard a familiar giggle. Don walked besides Mikey in the opposite direction of the tv room. Raph was curious, so he decided to follow them for a moment and see where they were heading. 

He stuck to the shadows, silent as he could be, he went unnoticed by them. The two turtles entered the medical wing. Leo was not with them, though.... "Psst." Raph jumped back, his fists up and ready. "It's not very nice to spy on others, Soldier." 

"Wasn't spying..." Raph muttered. 

"Yeah, he wasn't! He's a guest!" Mikey clung to Leo's shoulder.

"Wait, how did u get here when I just saw you go inside...?" Raph quirked a brow.

"Or, did you...?" Mikey moved his hands imitating a magician pulling secrets from his sleeves. His laugh striking the core of Raphael's temper. 

Leo heard the rumbling growl from Raph. "Don't pay attention to him. He's a brat." He placed a hand on Raph's shoulder. "You watching the movie with us?" 

"Nah, not really a Forest Gump kind of guy..." 

"Forest Gump? Nah! We're watching Riddick!" Mikey chirped in. 

"But, I heard-"

"They're playing Gump's movie in the communal room. We watch movie night in my personal chamber." Donnie pulled Raph and Leo inside. A few doors down, the brainy turtle opened a large room adorned with two comfortable looking couches and a giant white board. 

"Plus, we got popcorn and beer!" Mikey jumped towards the microwave and placed a bag of kernels into it. 

"No beer, Mikey." Leonardo's voice was serious. It even made Raph tense up a bit, bit the younger turtle seemed unfazed by it. 

"Lighten up a little, bro! It's the guy's first legit movie night!" Mikey twirled towards the fridge and pulled a nice cold one, tossing it to Raph who grabbed it easily.

"I think I'll pass... got an early start tomorrow," Raph said, placing the beer down. 

Leo had already taken a seat on one of the couches. Donatello turned on a large home-made looking machine which turned out to be a projector that illuminated the white-board with a crisp image. He then sat right next to Leo. Raph's skin heated up a couple of degrees at the action. "Ya sure ya can't just stay for a little...?" Mikey pushed. 

"Alright, I'll watch some Vin Diesel and then go straight ta bed." Raphael walked around the couch and took a seat at Leo's other side, keeping about a body distance from him, though. "Got anything other than beer ta drink in there?" Mikey threw him a soda can, pulled the now puffy treats, and took a seat on the opposite couch. 

The movie started, and to Raph's amusement it wasn't half bad. But when he had said he was tired, he had been telling the truth. His head started to bob off around the second half of the film. His eyes where glassy and his yawns got bigger and bigger every time. He started to doze off... Then the side of his face touched Leonardo's shoulder. The older turtle smiled when the other frantically sat back up mumbling an apology, a little trickle of drool shined on his lip. Raphael's face flushed deeply. "Relax, Raphael...." Leo whispered. 

Raph heard a mumble and turned his head towards the other two turtles. Mikey had fallen asleep in the crook of Donnie's neck, their fingers interlocked. The olive turtle was mesmerized watching the movie, his thumb drawing caressing circles on Mikey's hand. Raph found it to be a comforting sight. His mind drifted to a place where he had once been cared for by a beloved as well. It was a good feeling... A memory which gave him peace of heart. Before he knew it, he drifted off into sleep. 

Raphael's hooded eyes slightly opened when he felt something shift under him. Realizing where he was and who he was with, his big golden orbs snapped widely while his head kept moving in a steady up and down with every breath Leonardo took. How did he end up on Leo's plastron!? Wait.... Was that Leonardo's hand laying on his head!? His heart thumped violently. "You're up..." Leo whispered. "Try to be quiet, don't wake the others..." Raph pushed himself up on shaky hands off Leo's chest. The television was flashing the credits. How long had he slept for? 

"I-I'm sorry..." Raph stammered. 

"For what? Sleeping?" Leo smiled. The forest green turtle brought a hand up and gently wiped the side of Raph's mouth . "You drool when you sleep. It's cute." Raph's face had never been more red. He could feel hot steam escape through his ear slits. "You should go to bed now. It's late. I'll see you tomorrow for training, Soldier." 

Raph's eyes stayed on Leo as he stood up and walked towards the door. It took a couple of seconds for his body to react from its daze. What was happening to him? He was so confused.... Was his admiration for Leonardo evolving into something else? Something deeper...? He needed to snap himself out of this if he was going to be an efficient member of the attack squadron for the mission. Whatever was happening, it was going to have to wait until after the Lacertas were abolished. Or so he hoped....


	8. Chapter 8

COURAGE: A Battle Within -8

Raph made it into his bunk unnoticed. His chest rose with every sharp but silent breath he took. His memory was plagued with the image of Leonardo's smile. He placed his right hand over his plastron, trying to ease his nerves. "That's it. It's official. I'm a total idiot," he mumbled. "Running away from him.... what a pussy!" Raph groaned his frustrations. 

He knew by now that something about Leo stirred his insides in a way nothing else could, and it made him crazy when those feelings got so out of hand that he felt the urge to flee the presence of the soldier whom he admired most. Leo's fighting style, his stoic demeanor and tactical savvy all made Raphael admire him greatly and, frankly, crave for Leonardo's acceptance of him. He wanted Leo's respect, and the fact that the Captain had asked him to take part of the attack squadron had meant too much to him to measure. And now, at the first sign of closeness with Leo, he had scurried like roaches to light. 

"Hey, there you are." Casey walked into the shared room, his arms extending over his head in a loud yawn. "So.... did ya find him?" Raph's wide eyes made Casey chuckle. "Captain Leo. Ya went with him and the other turtles, didn't ya?" Raph's face flushed a little. A small nod moved his head. Casey smiled. "I'm happy for ya, buddy. I'm happy ya found others like ya." 

Letting out a soft breath, Raph smiled at his friend as they gave each other a fist-bump. "Don't get all sappy with me now, ya meat-head." 

"Yeah, whatevah ya shell-brain." The two friends chuckled and exchanged some small chit-chat before settling in for bed. The rest of the unit arrived a while after as they had stayed watching the movie till the end. Casey and Raph had a good laugh making fun of a sniffly Lagdora, who had obviously found the movie to be more sentimental than what he wanted to admit. 

Everyone rose early as usual. After the morning drills, a few names where called through the overhead speakers, prompting the mentioned soldiers to report to Colonel Bishop in the training gym. 

The soldiers aligned themselves by ranking order, saluting the Colonel as he entered the room followed by his Captain and Donatello. Raph's eyes met Leo's dark ones for a brief moment, the latter's smile made the other's legs feel weak. 

"At ease, men." Bishop's voice was like tempered steel. "As Captain Leonardo has briefed you, you will all leave for the neighboring village in exactly forty eight hours. Three vehicles will transport you to the location. The perimeter squadron will divide into two groups of twenty five, while the attack unit will board the third vehicle. 

"Lieutenant Donatello has manufactured three laser bombs specially for this mission. Their purpose is to annihilate as many lizards as possible per artifact. The attack unit is in charge of activating these bombs in triangular coordinates that will be provided to ensure the efficiency of the attack.... Captain?" 

Leonardo stepped forward. "This is a dangerous yet imperative mission. The more settled these creatures get, the higher is the chance of them further expanding their territory and reaching our base. They must be stopped immediately and at any cost. Understood?" Leo's emphasis made it clear to the men that casualties were to be expected. 

"YES SIR!" the men answered in unison. Their voices resonated within the gym walls. Raph was excited; this was his opportunity to show Leo where his skill set laid. His smile was too big to be hidden. 

Donnie passed folders to each soldier containing pictures of the terrain, maps of the territory, species analysis of the Lacerta, and a breakdown of the use and function of the laser bombs. After that they were all dismissed. 

Raph lingered in the gym. He was way too pumped to go read a shit-load of papers. A nice session with one of the trusty sand-bags in the gym was just what he needed to settle himself before he could go study his briefing material. 

Once alone, he removed his uniform jacket and went down to bussiness, giving jab after jab in a downpour of selectively placed punches that rocked the punching bag forcefully on its chain. 

"Someone is excited..." That voice. 

Panting, he grasped the swinging bag to bring it to stop. "Capn'..." he mumbled. 

"Looking forward to sharing the field with you, Soldier." Raph didn't turn back, but he knew Leo had already left. Good thing too, because the deep red of his face would have been impossible to hide.


	9. Chapter 9

COURAGE: A Battle Within -9

Raphael read and memorized the entire file. Well... everything except the Lacerta dissertation. He felt he knew enough of those scummy creatures to fill his head with any more. He knew their weak points and how to kill them. For him that was enough. 

The time had finally come for them to hit the road towards the village. The special attack unit sat quietly in the back of the armored truck designated to their transport. Their faces painted with shades of dark brown and blacks to match their uniforms and the terrain they we're heading to. Even Lagdora remained silent during the forty kilometer drive. 

They reached their destination by noon; a time of the day believed to have a certain effect on the aggressive lizards since it was then when they would bask their cold-blooded bodies in the sun. It made them lazy and slow. A perfect scenario for the unit to sneak in and deploy the bombs. 

The peripheral squadron took their place at a few yards from the invaded territory. The escape vehicles would wait behind the squadron's line. It took a quick pep talk from Leonardo about the importance of the mission's success to get the unit pumped and ready. Then they set out, scurrying like shadows towards their target. 

Leonardo raised his palm, signaling the others to halt. The men took a moment to survey the surroundings. The scene was unbelievable. Lacertas of all sizes laid left and right. The beasts wallowed on their sides in small piles, their swollen bellies raising with their breaths. Raph felt an urge to gauge each and everyone of their guts open. He hated them with all his might. Suddenly, he felt someone give his knee a light squeeze. He raised his eyes to find Leonardo staring at him; the beautiful darkness of his eyes framed by a mask of black face-paint which only enhanced their depth. "Stay close. Watch your back," he whispered. Raph thanked the paint for covering the blush that heated his cheeks, and simply nodded once, immediately grounding his mind back to where it needed to be, ready for the showdown. 

Leo pressed the side button of his watch and immediately a small hologram projected itself form the watch's face illustrating the map of the territory. He pointed at the three coordinates, indicating which one would be first. Everyone nodded, stayed close to the ground, and moved out to the first location.

The bombs were set with little effort and no wasted time. Once in the middle of the triangulation, Leo was supposed to type in a code into his watch which would activate the bombs, making them scan the area for the cold-blooded Lacerta bodies before they would take off to the sky like drones and shoot out the lasers, annihilating the entire hoard in a matter of mere seconds... the mission was soon to be successfully completed. 

Leo looked at his men. His pride shown through his eyes, a smile curved his handsome face. Raph promised himself he would make Leo smile pridefully like that many more times in the future. The map hologram came up again, engaging the three bombs. Leo typed the code, and hit 'accept'. The first bomb lit from red to green, then the second, and then the third... but before they finished releasing the breath they were holding, the third bomb flashed to orange twice before going red again. 

Everyone looked at Leo. "Something is not right..." he mumbled. Then they heard he first screech. 

The first and second bombs were engaged and attacking, but without the third one the triangulation could not be completed, so instead of the devices doing their overall scan, they were aiming the attacks in al almost individual manner, killing Lacertas at random while alerting the other lizards to the attack... and the presence of the men. 

It took little time for the beasts to scent them out and start their own attack. "Shit!" Raph unholstered his guns. The others did the same with their own weapons. 

Leo radioed the peripheral squadron and quickly informed them of the situation. "Requesting backup, over!" He shot down a Lacerta as he spoke. 'Negative, Captain. Colonel Bishop does not want the rest to engage. Get your men out of there. Over.' Leonardo clenched his jaw. Raph observed him shoot two more Lacerta while his face remained blank of any emotion as he spoke to base. "We are severely outnumbered. Requesting backup. I repeat, requesting backup. Over!" The voice on the other end remained silent for two long seconds before coming through again shakily. 'N-negative, Captain. I'm sorry... it's up to you. Get your men out. Over and out.' 

The unit continued to take down Lacertas as they came. They were all too busy to notice the flash of momentary panic that crossed over Leo's eyes. Everyone, except Raphael. "Leo?" 

The Captain's eyes focused on Raphael. "We are getting out. I have a plan." Raph smirked and nodded. "Everyone! Back to the third coordinate! If we get the bomb to work manually the triangulation will take place!" The men responded in an affirmative, everyone falling in place as they carefully moved as a single entity, taking down the enemy while watching each other's backs. Raph's admiration for the other turtle grew tremendously.

As they moved, more attention was brought upon them from the hoard. The creatures screeched and writhed as some of them kept being shot down by the scorching lasers from the sky. The men's training and the reasons of why Leonardo had hand picked them were obvious to Raphael. Their skills were impressive. Each of their weapons was mastered as an extension of their bodies. Before they knew it, they were taking down almost as many Lacerta as the stupid bombs where. 

"Sir, their numbers..." Embolos grunted as he continued to bash skulls left and right. 

"I know. The triangulation will not be enough for them all," Leo grimaced. 

"What ya mean it won't be enough?" Casey asked. 

"They're too many. Almost triple per square footage to what we came prepared for," Leonardo explained. 

"Well, nice knowing ya, Jones," Lagdora scoffed, obviously pissed at the thought of meeting his doom. 

"Shut up! Both of you!" Raphael growled. "We ain't dying! Not here, not today! Tell 'em, Leo!" 

Leonardo felt a spark in his stomach. Raphael was right. They could possibly still reach the escape vehicles... they could reach the peripheral squadron. They had to at least try. "Follow me," he said with his usual smile. 

"With that poker face? Always!" Raph smirked.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Braise yourself guys! Things are about to get serious......

COURAGE: A Battle Within -10

Leo ran through the bushed area, guiding his men. He overheard the soldiers mumbling between their panting, all of them asking what the fuck had just happened. Never in all his years of service had Leo had a faulty report, or a malfunctioning laser bomb. Even if it was only one out of the three that didn't work, it was enough of an odd to turn the tables on the matter, making the remaining Lacertas not only aware of their presence, but also sending the vicious lizards into their usual killing frenzy. So far they had no casualties in their group. That gave him certain relief and pride, reassuring him that he had picked a well prepared team. 

Suddenly, a shrieking scream was heard from the front of the group as one of the men, a young human called Dario, was torn away by what seemed like small Lacertas, juveniles maybe. The man's screams ended with a loud splat. Everyone stoped running to asses their surroundings better. These animals had been the lords of this land for a few weeks now, giving them the advantage on the terrain. 

Everyone had their weapons drawn. "Leo, three o'clock..." Raphael whispered as he noticed the glimmer of what seemed like a pair of big red eyes. 

"I sense more.... how are there so many of them..." Leo had a bad feeling all together. Something was wrong. There is no way they could be this unprepared. A scream was heard that pulled Raph and Leo's attention to the middle of the squadron. 

"LAG!!!!" Casey yelled as his comrade was dragged off by three of the small lizards. 

Lagdora clawed at the juveniles, making one of them loose its grip on him, but the other two were then joined by a larger one. Lag was able to stand up and get in battling position, but in his heart he knew this might be his end. "Facking beasts! Come and get me!" 

Casey looked at Raph, and Raph looked at Leo. Their eyes screamed for action to be taken in saving their friend. "Raph, Jones and Embolos! Aid Lagdora! You three, with with me! Make a path !" Raphael's eyes glimmered with admiration and gratefulness. As the three ran to assist Lag, Leo got in the middle of the remaining men as they reached the dud laser bomb. "If I can get this to work..." He raised his eyes and saw the three men nod at him in understanding. Weapons out, they protected Leonardo from any attacks, giving him time to look through the firing mechanism on the device. 

Raph shot down the juvenile animals while Casey was able to aim at the larger one's neck and almost completely sever its head with the rain of bullets from his AK-47. Immediately they noticed that the smaller Lacerta where not as though skinned as the adults. Embolos crushed a large male Lacerta that jumped out at them. "Lag! Ya good, buddy?" Raphael asked, noticing the stream of scarlet blood running down his men's collarbone and arm. Lag didn't answer, he appeared to be in shock. "LAG!" At the commanding voice, the scaly humanoid reacted, giving Raph a quick thumbs up. "Ok, fall back men! We have to regro-!" Raph felt the air get knocked out of him. A very big beast rammed his head against the turtle's shell, sending him crashing about ten feet against a pile of rocks. The boulders stumbled with the impact, falling on top of Raph's carapace. 

"Raphael!" Embolos readied to take the beast out, but this animal was ferocious and agile. It dodged the large war hammer with little effort, aiming his body against the bull-man's side, making him fall. 

"Raph!" Both Lagdora and Casey tried to make their way to their fallen Lieutenant, but they were soon surrounded once more. 

From the rubble, Raph's head peaked, seeing the circumstances their mates where in. "Fall back! Now!!!" 

Casey cursed as loud as he could. Lagdora clenched the painful wounds on his side, hissing in anger. Embolos kept swinging his hammer, making sure no lizard came too close to them as they all retreated. 

"Got it!" Leo exclaimed. "Everyone! To me!" The men ran next to Leo, who mentally counted them on sight. "Raphael?" 

"My apologies, Captain," Embolos said. 

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Is he dead?" The bull shook his head. "Point me to him." Leo handed the laser bomb to Embolos. "It should not misfire this time, my friend," Leo said to the bull, and then addressed the others. "As soon as Embolos throws it, everyone run to safety. No looking back! Understood?" Casey tried to mutter an argument, but Leo quickly smiled at him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Understood...?" Casey nodded. Leo smiled at the men. Embolos counted down from three before launching the laser bomb into the air. Leonardo ran towards the boulders, blades in hands.

Lacertas shrieked in pain as their bodies fell to the ground lifeless. Leo dodged the creatures, running with all his might to Raphael's aid. He looked over his shoulder and saw the rest of the men running towards safety. At that short lapse of focus, a small Lacerta used its sharp claws to rip a gash on one of Leonardo's thighs. Leo hissed in pain, he turned and slashed at the creature's neck, but the laser bomb got it first. 

As he reached the boulders, he fell to one knee and called for Raph. A low grunt from underneath a large rock gave Raph's position away. Leonardo looked at his surroundings one last time to make sure he had enough distance between the remaining creatures to give him the few seconds he needed to pry the boulder off the soldier. Raph's eyes glimmered at the sight of the Captain. 

"Are you injured?" Leonardo asked, masking his own pain.

"Saved by my trusty shell." Raph quickly helped push the rest of the rocks off of him. He stood up, cocked his gun, and realized what had happened. "You came back for me..." His voice was close to a whisper, but regardless of the noise around them Leo heard it clear.

The forest-green turtle grabbed Raph by a hand and pulled him out. He pointed towards the escape vehicles, but Lacertas both dead and alive were in their way. The laser bomb kept doing its job and the creatures were in fact reseeding, but Raph could see Leonardo's movements where not as fluid and quick. That's when Raph noticed the darker shade of green expanding over Leonardo's leg. "You're bleeding... we aren't gonna make it in time!"

"You need to go. You will reach the vehicles before they leave. Run as fast as you can!" Those words... those last words resonated inside Raphael's head, making him feel numb for a moment. "RUN!" 

"NO!!!" Raph holstered his gun, he draped Leo's arm over his shoulder. "I'm not leaving you! I will never run again!" Raph thought about carrying Leo, but that would put him at too great of a disadvantage. He looked around them, noticing a small cave to their left. It's mouth was small enough to defend it. "We will hide out until the Lacertas finish scurrying away. Then we will make our way back to base." The emerald soldier pointed towards their possible hide-out.

Leonardo's mouth curved lightly into a smile, but slowly shook his head. "You can't be around me for much longer." Raph's brow furrowed questioningly. "The juveniles, their claws contain some kind of poison, a hallucinogenic. Donnie calls it a defense mechanism. In a few moments I will not be myself, and I can't have you near me when that happens. I... I won't be safe to be around." 

Raphael's golden saucers stared at Leonardo. A large Lacerta charged towards them, but Leo swiftly unholstered his magnum and shot it down. His arm muscles vibrated almost in slow motion in Raph's eyes.... an image he would remember forever. "I'm not leaving you." Leo looked up, his dark eyes meeting Raphael's. "Don't ask me again.... or ya will have ta charge me with insubordination." 

Leonardo's sight was starting to get foggy. Raph noticed his pupils enlarge for a brief moment. Shaking his head, the Captain said, "Stubborn...." He let out a sigh. "As soon as we get in the cave you are to tie me up."

Raph couldn't help a small blush creep onto his cheeks. Doing his best to keep a straight face, he nodded. Leo stood up shakily, gun in hand, and started to recede cautiously to the cave. There weren't that many creatures left, but they knew it was pointless to search for the rest of their party since by now the vehicles had surely gone. 

Once they reached the cave, they noticed a large boulder in its inside. It was large enough to be used to cover most of the mouth of the cave from the larger creatures. Raph pushed it over while Leo watched for the intruders.

"I didn't know the babies were poisonous," Raph said as he turned to Leo. 

"It was in the briefing docket," Leo panted out. Raphael felt ashamed of not reading the specie briefing section, but he would admit to that at a later time. "This is only the second time I encounter juveniles," Leonardo hissed. "This hoard had been here for longer than what we thought."

Raph came to his side, glancing at the small opening that was left at every couple of seconds. "Yer making it sound like we were set up." Leo's look told Raph he had hit the nail on the head. "That's a serious accusation."

Leonardo closed his eyes as he pressed his head against the cavern's wall. "Bind me. Use our laces. Make sure my hands are specially tight." 

"Ya seriously need me ta tie ya? I'm sure I can hold ya down." Raph quirked a cocky grin.

"My hands. Bind my hands." Leo's teeth clenched, sweat rolling down his face. Raphael shook his head. He bend down and started to undo Leonardo's shoelaces while still glancing at the entrance. It was in one of those moments that he felt his body slammed back on his carapace, then Leo's warm breath was tickling his neck. 

"L-Leo...?" he stuttered. 

"I... I can't... your smell. Your damn smell..." Leo's whispered words against his skin sent shivers down to his gut. 

"Well what ya expect? We've been sweatin' all day." He tried to push Leonardo off of him. That's when he saw it. Leo's look was different. His pupils were so big he could barely see the dark grey of his iris. "Leo...?"

"God, Raphael... stop saying my name..." Leonardo's lower body flinched down, scrapping his plastron against Raphael's. The feeling made them both gasp. 

"Leo, what's happening....? What are ya doing? What is- aaaahhhh.....!" 

Leonardo leaned down and trailed his tongue over Raphael's neck, starting on his pulse point, all the way to his jaw. "Ever since I saw you.... no... ever since I heard about you...." Leonardo's breath against the wet stripe of saliva left behind, it made Raph's chest rumble with an uncalled for deep churr. "God.... I've wanted you ever since......" 

Raphael's eyes snapped open. He didn't even realized they had closed. His sight focused on Leonardo's eyes. "Leonardo..." whatever words he was about to say where muffled when Leo's mouth covered his own in a deep, hungry kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

COURAGE: A Battle Within -11

"Donnie!" Michelangelo stormed into the medical office only to find it empty. "Shit!" He immediately ran out, the pit in his stomach so deep it was making him nauseous. Suddenly he saw a group of soldiers run towards the main entrance of the base, his gut told him to follow. As soon as he turned in the last corridor, there was Donnie, a grim expression on his face as he awaited with April and a few others for the special unit and squadron to arrive. "Donnie! Details!"

Donatello didn't look his way, his focus set on his task. "They said one of the bombs faulted."

Mikey's mouth fell open. "What...? But, but it was your bomb.... you don't make mistakes!" 

"One casualty, one injured.... two missing," Donnie grumbled, his anger obvious. 

"Leo?" Mikey asked, but Donnie only shook his head. 

Mikey's fist clenched nervously as the alarm sounded to announce the awaited arrival. The medics immediately pulled the stretcher where a feverish, gibberish-speaking Lagdora was laid. Donnie examined him and immediately recognized the symptoms. "Juveniles."

"He's poisoned?" Mikey asked.

Donnie felt a pit in his stomach when he heard his lover's worried tone. "Mikey.... I'm sorry..... I-"

"Lag! Stay with me buddy!" Casey leaned over his friend who gave a loud almost psychotic chuckle before he started to pinch Casey's cheeks. 

"Grandma yer skin is so squishy! Tell me another story.... please~!" Lag's pupils where drastically dilated. 

The medic sighed. "His wounds need tending." Donnie looked at April who nodded and proceeded to take Lag towards the medical office for treatment. "The poison is meant to be some sort of distraction; when Lacertas engage large groups, the juveniles serve as peons, moving swiftly through their enemies and contaminating their bodies, making them incapable of battle and easy targets. Unfortunately the strand varies depending on each individual, both recipient and carrier. This is why there is no available antidote, but the main component is not designed to be fatal. It should be out of his system in a few hours." Donnie's rambling was a clear give away of truly how worried he was as he waited for the rest of the unit to enter. Mikey had to fight his urge to hug his lover for comfort them both... his mind was tugging at his heart as he kept searching for his big brother.

"Embolos!" The younger turtle greeted the bull man with a smile, happy to see him well. "If you're here that means Leo is here too! And I bet you guys dragged Raphie along as well!" His smile slowly fell to the floor when he got no reaction from his large friend. 

"Michelangelo... the Captain fought as bravely as ever." Embolos' voice was low and grave. 

Mikey felt a chill run down his body, but the fright was overcome by anger almost instantly. "Did you see him die?" he asked. Donnie placed a hand over Mikey's shoulder. "Did you!?" Embolos shook his head. "Then you don't know he's dead." A cocky toothy grin creeped on his face as he said, "And since there's no evidence, I will go with my gut and believe my brother is still alive." 

Donnie looked at Embolos, both of them exchanged a sigh and a very small smile. They nodded to Mikey in agreement. "Excuse me, I need to report to the Colonel," Embolos said. "Michelangelo... I also believe the Captain will return." 

"I'll stay here until Leo shows up with Raphie-Boy," Mikey said as he crossed his arms over his chest, giving no room for argument. "You go rest up, bid guy." Embolos saluted and heavily walked off. 

"I'll go check on Lagdora.... after, I have to go see the Colonel as well." Donnie surveyed the rest of the soldiers making sure no one else needed his attention before he started to walk away. His brilliant mind kept going over the slim possibilities that his equipment could malfunction. He simply didn't make those type of mistakes... something was off.   
__________________________________________

"Nghh... L-Le-aahhhh....." Raph's words were gasped through needy pants as Leonardo ravished his neck and shoulders. Leo's hands slowly let go of Raph's hands to trail down his body. To his pleasure, the soldier did not try to fight his advances. 

"The first time I saw you... covered in blood and unconscious... for the first time in my life I felt absolute dread," Leo whispered. "I realized then, it was your presence which had called for me that night..." He bit down on Raph's now exposed shoulder, lapping at the spot in loving circles with his tongue.

Raphael whimpered wantonly underneath him. "Leo... the Lacertas are still outside..." as Leo's mouth reached his neck once more, Raph stretched his head back unconsciously exposing more skin. 

"Your smell... you want me as much as I want you..." His lips fell upon Raphael's again, but this time the kiss was soft. Leonardo's lip captured the other's in gentle nips, his tongue caressing every small pinch. Raph felt numb.... his heart thumped against his chest. 

His haze snapped when he felt nimble fingers unbuttoning the remaining toggles on his jacket. Fingertips started to trace his plastron tentatively. "Leo, wait..." He tried to lift himself on his elbows, but Leo pushed him back again forcefully. 

"Can't. Wait.... want.... you....." Leo's needy pants and moans stirred Raphael's insides. Raph raised his face to look at Leonardo's upper body heading south on his. Leo's face was frowned in pure lustful concentration; his tongue traced every groove over his bright yellow plastron. Once Leo reached the lower soft cartilage, his eyes raised and met Raphael's. "Want. You. Now." His tongue dipped into Raph's hidden pouch. The jolt it sent down his legs made him open his mouth in a muffled scream. 

The sounds he was emitting he had never thought he was capable of making. His hands reached down to settled on Leonardo's skull, the feel of his gyrating head and the feel of his wet appendage forcefully breaching him... so close to his secret. "Leonardo! Please.... stop! We can't do this!"

Raphael tried to forcefully pry Leonardo's face from him. He pushed him down with enough strength to move him, but still trying to not be rough. Leo, on the other hand, was not willing to back down without a fight. He grabbed Raph's right arm and swiftly pulled him over, making him fall in his plastron, his m arm tightly twisted behind his shell. Raph felt Leonardo's churr before the sound had come out his throat. The rumble made him both nervous and excited. "I just want to taste you...."

Leonardo's free hand pulled Raph's rump in the air. Raph's gasp made the other smile. Forest green fingers slid under Raph's pants, making him wonder at what point had they come undone. Leo's aim however had changed towards Raph's posterior entrance. Raph gasped once again, then he heard a grunt from Leo.... suddenly, all movement stoped, and the pressure on his arm loosed. "L-Leo...?" As Raph tired to turn his head, Leo's body fell limply on the ground next to him. Had he passed out...? "Leo!" 

Raphael moved over to him, nervously checking for a pulse. "Tell me.... you want me.... too...." Leo was fighting to keep his eyes open. His words were slurring. 

"I.... I can't.... we can't...." he said. 

"You can't.... or you won't....?" Leonardo reached his hand, cupping Raphael's face lovingly. "I felt it.... you are that child.... the special one, from the village.... I felt it.... just now...." Raph couldn't believe those words. He felt embarrassed. Exposed. 

"What? What are ya talking about...?" He whispered nervously. 

Leo simply smiled. "Only means... I can.... love you.... in.... double.... the ways....." His thumb pressed Raphael's lower lip before his eyes closed completely. Before Raph could mutter anything else, Leo's arm fell to the ground next to him. His body was depleted of all remaining strength, the grogginess a side effect from the poison. 

Raph snapped himself out of his daze to check Leonardo's vitals. Once he deemed him stable, he proceeded to tie the sleeping soldier up. 

He wasn't sure how he should feel.... a part of him was relieved his secret was no longer kept from the Captain. Another was nervous of the possible repercussions this could bring to him in his military career. His medical folder had been classified with a Top Secret clearance years ago when he was enlisted under Traximus, and so far there hadn't been any questions rise from such classification since it was a status that his whole unit shared.... but he wasn't sure if that would remain if Leo divulged his finding to someone, like Donatello, per say. 

Donatello.... What exactly was his relationship with Leonardo...? It was obvious the two were close, but how close where they? Michelangelo's words came to his mind 'Donnie would know.... he's tasted Leo's flesh....' He felt blood rise to his head. What games were these guys playing at? Did Leo want him because he was curious about the hermaphrodite freak that had come to base to play? 

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a low shriek from the outside of the cave. Raph had let himself be carelessly distracted from the threat that remained beyond the caves safety. He chastised himself for it, his temper rising even more, aimed to the slumbering turtle on the ground. 

He swiftly cocked his gun and leaned against the entry boulder. He peaked through the remaining space between the mouth of the cave; his eyes widened at the sight.... It was a baby Lacerta. Very small.... it's skin was so thin it was almost see through. The creature shrieked as it rubbed its body against a very large lizard which laid dead amongst the rubble.... was that its mother...? Raphael's heart clenched in pain for the miserable creature, but the scene only lasted a short few seconds before a scorching laser beam shot down the baby where it stood, making it scream momentarily before it fell next to its fallen parent. 

Stubborn tears painted Raphael's face. The overwhelming pain in his chest from the sight was making it hard for him to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so everyone knows this story is not meant to take place in a RL military scenario..... so for the sake of the story and it's juicy drama some things will have to slide. I want to thank katstories for all the awesome information she grouped up for me regarding protocols, real scenarios, day to day soldier lives and chain of command orders. I will do my best to follow as much of these details as I can since they are very interesting, while staying true to the original idea provided by Seigaku whom this AU belongs to.


	12. Chapter 12

COURAGE -12

Michelangelo's head kept bobbing down. His eyes fighting to stay open as he continued to sit facing the main entrance to Base. Donatello stared at him from a distance, knowing if he approached him he would be shut down stubbornly by a little brother who no matter how old he was he would always look for his eldest sibling's back amongst a crowd. The olive green turtle sighed before turning around to head for his lab, making sure to leave the door open in order to hear if any commotion erupted. 

Suddenly, a loud bang was heard from one of the aisles. Mikey jumped to his feet, looking first at the entryway, then towards where the noise had actually come from. "Major Traximus, the orders are to stay put until morning, sir..." 

The horned reptile snorted and glared at the officer who had spoken. "I do not like to loose any of the little sleep I get, and knowing we have men still out there is certainly going to keep my lids peeled."

"B-but how do you even know they're alive, sir...?" The officer pushed forward. 

Traximus' chest rumbled in a low laugh. "You obviously know nothing of the men who stayed behind." Mikey stood up to those words, a big smile on his face. 

"Major! Sir! I volunteer to make part of the rescue unit, sir!" The youngest turtle saluted the higher official. 

Embolos appeared as well, his war-hammer ready at hand. Donnie observed the exchange.... his blood boiled at the stupid order that the blabbermouth kept japping about. The stupid order that had come from Bishop; the bastard who had refused to meet with anyone after the squadron had returned. Today he would have his words with him, even if he had to knock his door down. 

"Grrrraaaaaahhhhh!!!!!" A loud scream came from the entryway catching everyone's attention. Eyes became saucers when a dirty and tired looking Raphael pushed through the door, his access card in one hand, Leonardo's limp body over his other shoulder. 

"Raphael!" Traximus was first to react. Mikey's gaze was fixed on his brother's form. Raph let Leo's body slide as Embolos received him. 

The bull man immediately noticed his Captain was tied up by his wrists and ankles. A growl erupted from him as he pushed Raphael against one of the walls. "You dare bring him in this condition!?" 

"It was a necessary mean," Donatello's voice came from the back of the group. "The laceration on him; it is clear he was attacked by a juvenile. The poison most likely affected him in ways that he himself requested the binds. Or do you really think that guy would be so easy to tie up in such an organized manner against his will....?" 

Embolos let out a groan, giving Raph a small apologetic push against his plastron before letting him go. "You make a sound point, Lieutenant. My apologies, Raphael."

"They both look extremely dehydrated. To the infirmary, right away." Embolos nodded and obeyed Donnie's request, followed by Michelangelo who had been unusually quiet. Raphael, on the other hand, did not budge from where he had been left against the wall. That's when Donatello felt that burning glare going through him like a laser canon. "Raph, you too. I would like to hook you up to an IV drop-"

"Just need a good rest, is all...." Raph interrupted him. "Don't need yer IV." He walked off the wall, pushing his shoulder against Donatello's as he passed him. 

"Raphael!" Donatello yelled at his retrieving form. Traximus observed his soldier, his frown so tense his horns where almost touching. 

April was in the infirmary still monitoring a sleeping Lagdora as Casey kept her company. Embolos gave a soft knock on the door before entering with Leo in his arms. "Leo!" April jumped up, immediately pulling the sheets over one of the beds for the soldier to lay his superior on. She cut off the laces tying his hands, but immediately replaced them with bed straps on each side, doing the same with his feet. Embolos watched in silence. "This is a juvenile caused wound. We don't know details of his reaction to the poison, so for his and everyone else's safety he will remain restrained until he becomes conscious again." Embolos knew the woman's words were meant to calm his nerves. He appreciated them. Casey looked at Mikey and received a nod to answer his silent question. The man's body soon disappeared through the door to go look for his best friend. 

"When do you think he's gonna open his peepers?" Mikey asked.

April let out a breath as she prepped Leo's arm for an IV. "Hopefully soon.... you know how it is with these situations... every time someone comes in with a juvenile injury the symptoms and reactions are always different. Lag's looks like a scratch compared to Leo's, and he's still sound asleep...."

"How long was the longest time for someone to wake up from this?" Mikey asked again as his fingers softly touched his sibling's. 

"There's only been five soldiers who have faced this that we know of... one of them didn't even pass out.... another stayed asleep for almost a month.... it's hard to say, Mikey. But one thing is for sure; your brother is strong, and he will pull through in no time." The small comforting smile that the red-hair curved at the sea-foam green turtle gave him the hope he needed to smile widely and nod firmly. He grasped Leo's hand, giving it a nice squeeze; a silent promise that they would look at each other's eyes soon. 

Raph reached his bunk, but as soon as he had only sat his tired butt on it, an angry Donatello stormed in behind him. "I am this Base's head medic, everyone's health and well being is under my care. I demand you to report to the infirmary right away for a checkup." The low growl that rumbled through Raphael's chest made Donnie's pose tense. "Please. I am your friend. Let me make sure you are well..."

Raph's face softened a little, the scowl still obviously present. "I'm fine. Just want to be alone." 

"I am afraid that will not do for the moment, Raphael." Raph's body immediately flinched, standing up straight at the voice of his Commander. "Infirmary. Now." Raph's shoulders slouched forward in defeat. He let out a deep breath and walked past Donatello, saluting his superior es he passed him by. 

"Thank you, Commander Traximus, for your support in this manner...."

The giant reptile crossed his arms in thought. "It is not unusual for him to be stubborn, specially when it comes to accepting he is injured... but I sense a deeper turmoil brewing within. Please keep me informed of his condition, both physical and mental. I leave him in your care." 

"Yes, sir." Donnie saluted and walked towards the path which Raphael had just taken. He too thought something else was wrong. 

Raph's pace was slow, his mind on the other hand was racing. Leonardo's lust and revelation.... his own wants in that matter.... but the image that he just couldn't get rid of, the one of the Lacerta baby getting struck down besides its mother.... just thinking about it made his beak wince with the tickle of tears. What the fuck did he care for those abominations!? If it was up to him to turn a switch and abolish all of them from existence he would push it without the slightest thought. Why did he feel so much pain from that memory? 

"Yo."

Raph was caught off guard by his friend. The glimmer of a trail of tears was till visible to Casey even though Raph did his best to wipe his face fast. 

Casey pretended to not notice since it was obvious Raph wasn't ready to talk yet. "April is waiting at the infirmary fer ya. Come on." The turtle appreciated his friends tact; he nodded and followed in silence. He thought of having to share the same room with Leonardo alone was making his mind do somersaults. 

"Raph! Thank goodness!" April ran to meet him at the door and immediately started checking for major injuries. "Anything I should know about? Does anything hurt?"

Raph scoffed. "Everything hurts, Ape.... but I'm just sore. Just scratches and bruises. No need ta get yer panties in a - ouch!!"

April punched him in his side with a nicely placed upper-cut. "Next time you use the word 'panties' around me, will be your last... shirt off. Now." Raph's face blushed a little, but he knew better than to argue with April. She examined his body, finding bruises all over it, a few deep scratches to his plastron and shell, but nothing life threatening. She took a deep breath and started to disinfect and bandage the cuts. Afterwards, his muscular arm was hooked up to an IV, the entire time he was there his eyes did their best to avoid the impulse of laying on Leonardo's form. 

Leo had an oxygen mask on. His shoulders exposed from under the covers, his chest going up and down with every breath he took. His face looked at peace. Once alone in the infirmary, Raph couldn't help but stare. The mix of emotions charging through his mind where overwhelming. So many questions..... his thoughts were interrupted with s light knock at the door. Donatello's head peeped through, to which Raph gave a low growl. 

Donnie's face scrunched up in annoyance. "Whatever it is that has been bothering you, go ahead and say it. I might be a lot of things, but a mind reader is not one of them." The medic crossed his arms, his resolve unwavering. 

Raph tensed. As angry as he was, he wasn't quite sure on how to approach the subject. 'What is exactly your relationship to him?' 'What did the bigmouth mean when he said you had tasted him?' 'What kind of sick fucking games are ya all playing?'............ 'Do you know what I really am...?' He shook his head. He absolutely did not feel comfortable to ask any of those things. He felt like a coward. And he hated it. 

Donatello's eyes were fixed in the range of emotions that flew through the hothead's facial expressions. His arms uncrossed as he realized whatever was going on with Raph was running deep. "Raph, you guys did a great job out there. You kept each other alive. You came home. Whatever happened with the laser-bomb is being investigated. Commander Traximus has been on top of that matter since the arrival of the squadron."

Raph listened to every word, and to his surprise he felt his anger diminish. Truth was he never really felt like Donnie was deserving of his distrust. Was this feeling he had before just a stupid jealousy fit? His cheeks went as red as they have never been. 

"Wow! Are you ok? Your face is flushed! We need to check your temperature, you might have a fever, and fevers indicate infection..... maybe I should double check your wounds." Donnie immediately went on work mode, grabbing a thermometer from a drawer and capping the end with a disposable plastic cover before he inserted it into Raph's mouth. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I swear!" Raph tried to pull the thermometer out of his mouth, both of them ending in a loose but stubborn arm wrestle. 

Donnie kept scolding Raph, both of them too focused to notice the set of eyes squinting lightly at them, or the soft smile that curved Leonardo's face. 

"Nice... to see... everyone... as lively.... as ever...."

"Leo!" Donnie shoved the thermometer into Raphael's mouth and moved to check on Leonardo. "No sudden moves. How are you feeling?" 

Raphael went silent. The thermometer hanging from his mouth. He saw Leonardo's eyes lay on him as Donatello was checking his injury. "I'm fine, Don... stop.... fussing." 

Donnie grumbled. "It's not fussing, it's my job." Being that Leo was lucid and coherent, he removed the straps from binging him. "Any sudden movements and they go right back on." 

"Understood..." Leo sighed. "Raphael..."

Raph flinched, his eyes trying to avoid Leonardo's. 

"Did... something... happen...? Did I... do... something....?" The worry was obvious in his voice. Almost painful. "Tell me..."

"You guys can talk later.... you are still too weak. The fact you're already awake is a miracle in itself." Donnie laid a hand on Leo's forehead. "Please... go back to sleep, rest. Don't force me to sedate you..." 

Leo simply nodded, his eyes glanced at Raph for a moment before closing, his breathing settling to a steady rhythm.

"This is the second time we are faced with a juvenile injury," Donnie whispered. "The first time was a few years ago; we were on a recon mission, ended up finding what I junk were breeding grounds. I was too focused examining a nest when it came at me, cutting into my calf. Leo stayed with me... the poison cause hallucinations on me that made me think, or better yet see Leonardo as food." Donnie took a deep breath. "It was so embarrassing... when they found us I was all tied up, poor Leo had a chunk of skin missing from his arm... a chunk of skin I ripped and apparently ate." 

Raph's eyes were huge at this point. His mouth hung so wide the thermometer fell from his lips. "So... that's what he meant..." he whispered. 

"Yeah.... that is one of the most embarrassing things I've done in my life. How Leo was able to forgive me is beyond me, but one thing is for sure; whatever happens while on the effects of the poison, it's not something you remember when the effects wear off... so whatever happened out there, be patient... you will have your chance to resolve whatever is bothering you." Donnie stood from Leonardo's side, he came next to Raph, felt his forehead and then smiled. "Well, no fever here thank goodness. Rest up while the fluids go through you.... you will feel much better by morning." 

Donnie left the infirmary, Leo was sleeping soundly, Raph was too busy thinking on how he would approach the subject now that he knew Leo wouldn't remember anything. The thought had his mind spinning for hours until slumber finally took over.


	13. Chapter 13

COURAGE 13

Raph woke to the clinking of metal against ceramic. His eyes opened tiredly, immediately turning to his side to look towards Leo's bed. There stood Mikey, spoon-feeding his brother some soup. "Mike, I'm fine. I can perfectly well feed myself."

"Not a chance! I made it, I feed it to ya." 

"You're insufferable...." And another spoonful entered his mouth. The sight was pretty funny; an overly-concerned little brother mothering his big brother. It was cute. Raph couldn't help the smile. "Glad to see you find this amusing, Raph...." 

Raph's smile completely wiped off, replaced by a blush of pink on his cheeks, but he quickly snapped himself from it. "Well it ain't every day that one can see the mighty fearless Leonardo treated like a baby." 

Leo's lip pouted, Mikey laughed. "If I remember correctly, this baby got hurt while going back to save a certain, very ungrateful, someone." 

"Yeah, well I would say we're even, since I had ta drag yer ass back ta base and all." Raph sat up on his bed, stretching his arms. He noticed Leo's eyes remained on him for a moment. 

"Aww, you two are so cute!" Both Leo and Raph's heads snapped to Mikey with a growl. "What...? I'm just stating the obvi- OWW!" Leo's hand slapped the back of Mikey's head. 

"Well what do you know... I seem to be full. Guess you can go back to your kitchen now." Leo practically shooed Mikey out of the room. As soon as the jokester was out of sight he brought two fingers to rub between his eyes. "Ugh.... my head..."

"You ok, there...?" Raph turned out from the bed and sat on its side. 

"Just a nagging headache..." 

"Probably cause of being dehydrated for so long. But we're done with our IV's, so ya should be fine soon enough." Raph rubbed the spot on his arm where the needle had been inserted. There was no pain or evidence that the needle was ever there. "Maybe I should go get the doc, have him give ya something for that."

"No." Leo turned to Raph. "Stay. I was hoping to get a moment alone with you...." Raph felt he blood leave his face. "I just want to make sure nothing happened that I should apologize for."

Raph bit his lip. "So ya really don't remember nothin'?" 

Leo's eyes looked pained. "I'm so sorry... I do not. Please, if I did anything to hurt you, accept my apology." 

'Oh, fuck no!' The words screamed in Raphael's head. There was no way in hell he was letting this guy slide for what he did. Raph stood from his bed and took the three steps needed to reach Leo's. He swallowed hard, scrambling to find the right words..... "Well, you didn't try ta take a bite out of me, that's for sure..." Leo's face turned red. "But you did say some pretty weird things... things that I can't really make disappear from my mind."

Leo gulped. "What exactly was it that I said...?" 

Raph felt a tinge of annoyance, but seeing how nervous Leo was he decided to simply push for the issue of most importance. "What do you know about me?"

"You are Traximus' right hand man, member of the Special Unit, graduated first in your class at the academy-"

"What do you know about me on a personal level...."

Leo stared at Raph, his brow furrowed. "I don't understand the question."

Raph gritted his teeth. "Then try ta understand it."

Leo felt the seriousness in the tone. He closed his eyes for a few seconds trying to think, then, as if struck by lightning, he opened them again, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. "What did I say to you...?"

Raphael growled. His patience had worn out. He grabbed Leonardo by his shirt and pulled him close. "What's THAT what all this was about!? You guys just wanted ta play with the freak, was that it!?"

"What...? No!" Leo sat up. 

"Tsk!" Raph straightened up. "I should've known you were too good ta be true..." he whispered as he turned to leave.... 

"Wait! Raphael!" Leo stood from the bed quickly, forgetting all about his injured leg. The loud thud from him falling to the floor made Raphael turn his head. Leo was panting, holding his leg, a clear red stain coming through his bandages. 

"Damn it." The hothead turned around and kneeled next to Leo. He helped him sit up. 

The second Leonardo got a hold of his breathing, he grabbed Raphael's shirt, and hugged him tight. "My father, he told me about your village... he had spent time there while in training many years ago. He told me about your heritage. I never thought it to be true.... but your smell... your delicious smell gave you away." Raphael was frozen, he was even holding his breath as he listened to Leonardo's words. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even my brother, not even Donatello." 

"You are not repulsed by.... by this...?" 

"Raph.... I have been taken by you since I heard about your existence. Then the moment I saw you, covered in blood, my heart sank at the thought of having missed the opportunity to have met such a person." Leo's hold loosened when he felt Raphael wouldn't try to flee anymore. 

"Taken... by me...?" Leo looked Raph in the eyes, his face covered in a rosed-blush, he nodded. There was something about Leo's eyes that was drawing Raphael in; maybe it was the honesty they reflected, but whatever it was, it was strong enough to guide Raph's lips to set on the other's. 

Leo hummed into the kiss as if it was sweet water to drink. He pressed forward, deepening the contact. The kiss was soft, but not lacking of passion. Gentle nibbles caressed their plump lips, then a timid tongue grazed emerald lips begging for entry. The entry was granted, and they both moaned the second their tongues started to dance with one another. 

Leo's hand cupped the back of Raph's head, meanwhile Raph's hands remained flat on the floor. His nerves of the moment faltering not allowing him to move a single muscle. 

The heat kept rising. Their bodies where becoming scorching hot. A low churr crept up Raphael's throat, his embarrassment wiped out when Leo's churr followed suit. 

"Mint tea...." Leo smiled at Raphael's words. "You're my mint tea." 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, making them both flinch back. Donnie entered the infirmary, his eyes widening like saucers when he saw Leo on the floor. "What happened!? Are you ok?" He rushed to their side.

"I'm fine, I just fell, that's all," Leo answered, his tone tainted with a hint of impatience. 

"You're wound is bleeding. Let me check those stitches for you. Raph, help me pick him up, please." Raph nodded and positioned himself accordingly. "How the heck did you manage this? You're always so careful..." 

"Fearless here just jumped out like a rabbit, surprised the heck out of me too." Donnie looked at Raph in wonder. Hadn't this guys just the day before been in one of the worst cranky moods he had ever seen anyone in? 

Donnie raised an eye ridge. "Is that so...?" He looked to Leo. 

"Yeah, should've seen him fall on his ass. If Mikey would've been here the guy would have gotten a hernia from laughing so hard." Leo rolled his eyes at him as a soft smile crept on his face. "Well, I'll be back later, I'm starving... gonna see if there's any breakfast left." 

"Don't take too long.... I have an audience with Bishop in forty five minutes, I would like both of you to attend it with me. It's about the faltering laser bomb." Donnie's face was a serious mask. One did not need to be a genius to know the olive turtle was going all out for justice.


	14. Chapter 14

Leo observed quietly as Donnie cleaned his wound. The stitches had pulled on the fresh healing skin, causing the incision site to bleed. The olive toned turtle wrapped the injury tightly, allowing Leo to have more fluid movements with less pain. 

“Who is to attend the audience?” Leonardo asked in a low voice. 

Donnie didn’t raise his sight. “Traximus, Raphael, Embolos, Jones, Lagdora, you and myself.” Leonardo hummed in acknowledgement. “General Splinter also requested to be present,” Donnie added.

Leonardo’s body tensed, his eyes going to Don’s face, searching for more information. 

“He was who requested the formal audience right after he heard about the… incident.” The muttering of that last word was painful to Don. His jaw clenched down tightly. “I sent him a copy of the report. He is on his way here now. Departed as soon as he knew you had gone missing.”

A soft smile curled the corner of Leo’s lip. “I see….” Placing a hand on Donatello’s shoulder he said, “Donnie, I stand by you on this. Anything I need to know before going into the den?”

Donatello’s stern face lifted after placing the last taut piece of tape over the bandages. Through gritted teeth he answered, “You just share exactly what it was that happened during your mission. I’ll handle the rest.” They shared a valiant smile. Don stood up. “Rest a little. I’ll send for you when it’s time.” 

Leo nodded as he leaned back on the bed, but rest was totally out of the question for him, for there was too much in his mind, specifically involving his Raphael… what was he doing now? Was he eating? What was he eating? Was he smiling? What was he thinking of? Was he thinking of him…? He passed a hand over his face, tightening his grip around his cheeks, easing his emotions down as he remembered the shared intimate moments... There will be a time very soon to explore all those questions, but now it was a time for action. Bishop had a lot to answer to, and his answers better be satisfying to Donatello, cause the brainy turtle was about to unleash himself for the sake of justice.

Back at the lunch room, Raphael was chowing down on a bowl of soup and mashed potatoes with gravy at a speed only a young male could achieve. His mouth filled with food, he took a swig of water to help him swallow. Mikey sat across from the larger turtle, a cocky smile on his face. “Damn, Raphie, I knew my food was good but geeze, try to at least breath.” Raph only grumbled with a full mouth, and surprisingly managed to shove a few more spoonfuls in. Mikey waited quietly until he swallowed, his face resting on his hand. Once Raph had a few more sips of water, Mikey spoke. “Eager to get back to your boyfriend, aren’t you…?” 

Raph choked on his water, coughing violently, his face turning as red as a tomato. 

Michelangelo chuckled, he picked up the empty tray and got up towards the kitchen. “Betcha Leo’s waiting for ya too. Hurry it up, will ya,” he said, then walked off. Raph stared at the cocky bastard with wide eyes. He was so mortified his head felt fuzzy; already Leo’s little brother was making remarks about their relationship?! But Mike was right; he was, indeed, rushing to go back to Leo’s side, and so he would. Raph wiped his chin with the back of his hand as he stood, regained his composure, and sped walked back to the infirmary. 

His hand came up in a closed fist ready to knock on the door, but he stopped at the thought of a peaceful slumbering Leo. Instead he slowly pried the door open, his golden eyes finding Leo resting. He slipped himself in, and made his way to the bed he once laid on. Raph sat at the edge of the bed, looking over the other. 

“It’s rude to stare, you know…” Leo said softly with a smile. Keeping his eyes closed, he patted the side of his bed.

Raph took a slow breath and pushed himself off his bed, accepting the invitation. His emerald body was stiff. Nervous was an understatement. He started to fiddle with his fingers when he felt something pull him down. “H-Hey!” Leo shushed softly, and that’s all it took for Raph to give in. He allowed himself to be embraced into the other’s arms, the side of his head rested onto Leo’s chest. He felt at peace, comfortable, but also slightly embarrassed. He remembered the movie night, how he had dozed off and ended in this same exact position. He remembered the feelings that were stirring in him back then… His body shivered.

“Are you cold?” Leo asked. 

Raphael shook his head, clinging tighter to Leonardo. “I thought I’d loose ya,” he said in a whisper. Those words made Leonardo’s heart jump. “Same way I lost my family years back…” Leo rubbed his shell comfortingly. Raphael continued, his voice a little shaky, “You would have liked my sister. She was a bad ass… I think she would’ve liked ya too…”

“Raph…” Leo’s soft voice snapped Raph back to reality, away from the bitter memories. 

Clearing his throat, the emerald turtle got up on his elbow and gave Leo a punch to his side. “No more playing ‘hero’, ya hear me, wise guy?” Leo grunted at the impact, and nodded with a smile. Raph leaned down towards Leo… the kiss they shared before still tingling on their lips. He could feel the other’s skin touching his own, the warmth of his breath tickling him. Leo’s heart pounded against his chest at the expectation… he leaned in.

“Leo! Look what I just found-…..” A loud thump made Donnie look up from the file he was holding. A startled Raph laid on the ground, a hand over his face, his teeth peeled in a menacing snarl. “Raph? What are you doing there-….. oh!” The second he inquisitively looked at Leo he realized he had just interrupted an intimate moment. Leo’s typical mannerism of pinching between his eyes with his fingers in frustration, geniality be damned, helped him put the puzzle together. “Uhm….” His face was as red as green could get.

“It’s ok, Don,” Leo said, trying to seem and sound as leveled as he could, even though his heart was threatening to bash through his plastron. Raph stood up muttering, what Donnie guessed, were numerous ways in which both him and his mother were destined to die. 

“Sorry guys, but this is important…” Donatello passed the file to Leo who held it low enough for Raph to be able to see as well. 

“It’s an essay. Dated thirty years back… from John Bishop?” Leo looked at Don requesting he shared his knowledge on the matter. 

“Yes, it is a dissertation he did at the beginning of his military career,” Don explained. “He talks about bio-engineered soldiers.”

“What a freak,” Raph rumbled out as he cracked his knuckles.

“That’s just the first one… turn the page,” Donatello instructed. “This one is about ten years after. He speaks about replacing the elite squadrons with beings who can be controlled from base by a superior. He has full diagrams and charts on how much money it would save the military instead of financing the training boot camps.” Leo turned to the next page. “He’s pushing for the use of robotic implants in the brains of expendable soldiers… he wanted an army of mindless obedient weapons of destruction.” Leonardo listened attentively. He was extraordinarily proud of his military achievements, so hearing about this guy’s “ideals” was grinding his gears. To him it was not only cowardice, but dishonorable and shameful. He would NEVER let that happen.

“This is insane… no one in their right mind would fund or allow this.” The statements sounded ludicrous; they absolutely belonged in the pages of a science fiction book, and not reality. Leo turned to the last page, dated eight years back. “It looks like he didn’t receive any support from the high commanders.”

“Yeah, but back then he was still going up in ranks. He’s like pretty high up there now,” Raph interjected.

“Not high enough to make a decision like this… but he is pretty high,” Donnie held his chin as he listened to his friends. 

“’Soldiers have shown to be incompetent at completing scouting missions, many cases have shown their emotional side get in the way during these tasks.’ He wants us to be completely void of emotion.” Leonardo’s voice was tainted with anger. 

“Like be willing to leave a comrade behind if the mission is compromised,” Raph added, remembering the results of the last mission, and realizing how by Bishop’s standards they had all failed miserably.

“This is an interesting find, Donnie, but I don’t see how it will be of any help today.” Leo once more flipped through the pages in the file, sighing at the realization of the type of lunatic that has his base and everyone in it under his thumb. 

“This wasn’t what I was looking for, but I couldn’t overlook it either…” Don took the file and neatly tucked it under his arm as he turned. “Something is up… and I have a feeling it goes deeper than what we think.” He reached into a cabinet and tossed Leo a wooden cane. “You guys ready?”

Leo pushed himself up from the bed as he caught the cane, taking two steps forward in which he barely showed a limp. “Lead the way Donnie.” Raph followed close behind, watching his beloved in silent admiration as his own thoughts drummed around his head.

**Author's Note:**

> Come with me as I do my best to take you guys on a heck of a trip where Raphael and the guys are soldiers in an army trying to rid the world of the monstrous Cerebrum Lacertas in this wonderful AU created by @Seigaku-san. 
> 
> All credits to @Seigaku-san for this story. I'm just a funnel putting it on paper to share with the fandom. Hope you all like! Please leave us your comments below!


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